Is This the End for Huawei? US Placed on the Entity List

The news that Trump placed Huawei on the list of security threats for the United States circled the globe in an instant and the consequences of this decision are still being assessed as we write this article. However, without doubt, the biggest hit for Huawei was Google's announcement that they will no longer provide Android updates or Play Store functionality for their phones. So, how do all these restrictions and bans affect the regular Huawei user? That's the question we will answer in this article.

Android will be Available on Future Huawei Smartphones?

Well, the move that Google announced bright and early after the US officially added the Chinese tech giant on the list of threats, means that they will no longer directly work with Huawei for updates in what Android is concerned. And this could be a huge blow, or even a critical one, for the brand that was quickly gaining ground compared to Samsung and Apple.

Simply put, in order for Huawei to keep using Android on their future devices, they will need to build one through the AOSP - Android Open Source Platform - which is available to any brand. However, even though they will be able to build a very good version of Android for themselves, base functionalities like Google Play Store, Google Maps, YouTube or Chrome won't be available on that Operating System.

So, without all these vital apps and access to the Play Store for any other ones developed by third parties, Huawei will be forced to either develop some more apps of their own or talk directly with the developers and get them to build dedicated versions. Of course, even if they would agree, that will still mean higher costs. It would be something similar to what Amazon offers through Amazon Fire OS, which is also based on the Android Open Source Platform but has its own app store.

However, the last ones to try something similar were Nokia and Microsoft. And they failed to bring Windows Phones to the place where they would make a solid alternative for Android or iOS despite both brands pouring millions into tools and enticing top app builders to join their platform.

Could it Also be a Helping Hand for Apple?

Not long after the ban, there were American voices claiming that the entire security threat story is simply a front that president Trump uses to give Apple a much-needed helping hand. With Huawei being a thorn in Apple's side for quite some time, this suddenly isn't just a conspiracy theory. Trump never made it a secret out of its desire to see Apple do more operations in the US.

Even if this was an orchestrated move to help Apple, there's a lot more to take into consideration when talking about a potential move of headquarters in the US. It will still be a very costly process for Apple and not to mention they will need many components to build iPhone so it's not really clear what the effect could turn out to be. It's more or less a gamble and not a great one as you'd experience in a mobile casino Australia has to offer. This is a gamble that could seriously destabilize the worldwide tech environment as Huawei is not just a mass producer of mobile phones, they also play a very important role in the rollout of 5G technology and many more.

Will this Move Affect Other Companies as Well ?

As far as we can foresee, there is no direct impact for other companies to come out of this ban on Huawei. However, if they will truly be destabilized and forced to reduce their activity, we could see secondary effects. For example, Huawei's rise from the 'rest of the pack' in the smartphone world has forced many other manufacturers to up their game as well. With Huawei out, there's nothing pushing those other companies to deliver better phones and technology.

Also, besides acting as a role model for the cheaper phone manufacturing companies, Huawei was also pushing Samsung and Apple to come up with bigger improvements for their flagships. The best example comes from camera development and the way the big names in the smartphone industry responded to the P20 Pro and now to the P30 and it's Pro version. For the moment, things have slowed down with the US Commerce Department announcing the temporary license for Huawei to collaborate with US-based businesses. Valid until the 19th of August, this will give everyone more time to think things through and come up with some solution for what could be a huge crisis.