Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Huawei says it was forced into leaving Google out of the Mate 30 Pro

Andy Boxall
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The new Huawei Mate 30 Pro will not come with Google Play — or any Google services, for that matter — when it’s released next month. In an interview with selected journalists following the phone’s launch, Huawei Business Group Chairman Richard Yu said people who buy the phone will be provided with alternatives through Huawei’s own App Gallery store, and suggested people may find other methods to install their favorite apps.

He also said the company is being forced into this situation by the U.S. government’s ongoing ban.

Recommended Videos

The phone will ship without Google services entirely, and while it does still have Android 10 installed, it’s an open source version known as AOSP. Huawei’s own EMUI 10 user interface is placed over the top.

Related

“We cannot install Google Play yet,” Yu explained. “Next month, the phone will ship internationally, and people will have to use other app stores.”

Huawei is preparing to launch the phone in the Asia Pacific region and parts of Europe, but has not confirmed exactly which European countries will get the new Mate 30 series. A release in the U.K., a strong market for Huawei, is also still in doubt. When asked about carrier support, Yu responded that negotiations are in progress, and he is positive about the outcome, saying the phone will “still be sold by carriers. Consumers love our products, so they sell very well.”

Despite the lack of Google’s apps, he still expects the Mate 30 series to sell very well, predicting sales of 20 million at least. There is also strong evidence the company is recovering from a dip in sales earlier this year. During the presentation, figures were shared that showed smartphones sales had risen 26% between January and August this year, a trend Yu says will continue.

Forced into the situation

Huawei’s inability to add Google Play and other Google services like Google Pay is the result of a continued ban by the U.S. government, which prevents U.S. businesses — including Google — from working with Huawei. The Mate 30 Pro has been built without the involvement of American companies.

Yu spoke at length about the situation and his feelings around it.

“We have been forced into the situation,” he said.

He described Huawei as a globalized, open, and transparent company being used as a bargaining chip in political gameplay, and warned that the ban had the potential to destroy the industry, and that it’s harmful to both sides.

“We want to continue with the Google partnership. If the ban isn’t lifted, we will have to use our own software,” he said, referencing HarmonyOS. Huawei has postponed using HarmonyOS on a smartphone in the hope it could continue using Android. He pledged to continue with Android AOSP for now, but said HarmonyOS may now come next year if the situation does not change.

Forging ahead

Huawei is not a company to sit back and let things happen, and it’s pushing forward not just with HarmonyOS, but with building up its own App Gallery store’s content too. In addition to a $1 billion development fund, it is offering developers higher commissions on apps sold through the App Gallery than both Google and Apple do for their respective stores.

However, without Google services like the Play Store, or familiar apps like Google Maps, Facebook, WhatsApp, and many others, the phone will be a tough sell to those who rely on them to enhance their smartphone ownership. Until the trade war between the U.S. and China ends, or an agreement between U.S. companies and Huawei is reached, the situation cannot be resolved.

“I believe it will finish,” said Yu positively, but offered no insight into whether it would be a conclusion favorable to Huawei. Should that happen, he said laughingly that it would only take “one night” for software updates to reinstate Google services on Mate 30 phones.

Describing the entire situation as damaging to both U.S. and Chinese companies involved, Yu resolutely said: “We cannot stop our business,” a statement that Huawei has stood by since the very beginning.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Wedge-shaped MateBook X Pro headlines Huawei’s MWC lineup
Huawei MateBook X Pro 2022

Mobile World Congress, the annual trade show for the mobile industry taking place in Spain this week, is usually associated with smartphones, but Huawei has often used the show to reveal its computing products, and 2022 is no different. Huawei has revealed three new devices — the MateBook X Pro 2022, the MateBook E 2022, and the MateStation X, plus a new software feature called Super Device. Let’s take a look at all of them.
MateBook X Pro 2022
Made from metal, the MateBook X Pro 2022 is a laptop with a 14.2-inch screen set in a case with a minimal 6mm-thick bezel for a 92.5% screen-to-body ratio. Closed, the case has a wedge shape, meaning it measures 15.5mm at its thickest point and only 5.4mm at its thinnest point. It weighs 1.38 kilograms, which is about the same as a 13-inch Apple MacBook M1.

Unlike old MateBook laptops, Huawei has moved the video call camera out of a function key and into the screen’s bezel, which means people will no longer have to stare up your nose during a call. The touchpad has been given gesture support, so you can adjust the brightness and volume with a swipe at the edge, and use a double tap with your knuckle to take a screen shot. This “knock” feature was previously seen on Huawei’s smartphones, and is surprisingly helpful. The case has six speakers for surround sound, four USB ports, and a 90-watt Super Charger fast charging system.

Read more
Google says fix for Pixel 6 Wi-Fi is coming in March update
A closer look at the Google Pixel 6 camera array. Credits: Andy Boxall/Digital Trends.

If you’ve been struggling with getting proper Wi-Fi connectivity on your new Pixel 6, you’re not alone, but the good news is that Google knows about the problem and says a fix should be coming next month.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been hearing sporadic reports from Pixel 6 owners dealing with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues. These became more prevalent after installing this month’s security patch, although some folks were experiencing more minor networking issues even before that.

Read more
The Google Pixel 6 Pro doesn’t deserve its bad reputation
Pixel 6 Pro in the pocket

The Google Pixel 6 Pro is not having the best month, publicity-wise. A broken software update in December 2021 caused problems before it was halted, but this only compounded the issues owners were already apparently having with the phone. Check Twitter, Reddit, and other online spaces, and you’ll find what appears to be plenty of disgruntled Pixel 6 owners voicing their disappointment with the device, including several high-profile YouTubers.

Has Google’s darling Pixel fallen from grace? Are we ready to strip it of its “Editor’s Choice” badge in our review? No, not yet. While people clearly have legitimate gripes about the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, there are also many who don’t have any issues with the phone at all. I know, because I’m one of them.
What’s the problem?
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro’s Android 12 software seems to be the root of the now widely discussed problems, which were made worse by Google pausing the December software update due to reports of it causing calls to be dropped on some devices. A new software update with a fix has been promised for late January. But frustrations have started to push owners over the edge.

Read more