For Google and Huawei everything changed from May of last year. Those who were once partners (Huawei even made some phones that were launched in their day with Google’s Nexus seal) began to have a somewhat conflictive relationship. On that date, the US government included the Chinese company in its Entity List . The US prohibits companies in the country from collaborating or working with those that are part of said relationship.
Although there was a tug of war for a few months, the schism finally occurred, as the Trump administration did not back down. For a few weeks from Huawei they prepared a plan B to deal with this big problem: that their Android smartphones would run out of essential Google services.
From mid-May onwards, all the brand’s phones could not include apps such as the Google search engine, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps or the Google Play Store app itself.
“Our focus has been to protect the security of Google users on the millions of Huawei devices around the world. We have continued to work with Huawei, in compliance with government regulations , to provide security updates and updates to Google applications and services on existing devices, and we will continue to do so for as long as it is allowed, ”explains Tristan Ostrowski, legal director of Android and Google Play. “To be clear: US law currently allows Google to only work with Huawei on models available to the public on or before May 16, 2019 ,” he recalls.
Faced with this situation, Google began working on its Huawei App Gallery store and began looking for alternative services . For example, you have signed an agreement with the map provider TomTom to stop relying on Google Maps. In addition, ‘unofficial’ solutions have been given so that users of the latest Huawei smartphones who want to continue using Google tools can do so on their new terminals.
At your own risk
This is where Google has made a wake-up call. The big G company wants to warn users of the risks of an installation by means other than Google Play and tries to wash their hands if that happens.
Ostrowski recalls that “ Google’s main apps are only available on Play Protect certified devices. These devices go through a security review and compatibility testing process to ensure that user data and app information are kept secure. They also come standard with our Google Play Protect software , which provides protection so that the device is not compromised, ”he adds.
Thus, the company founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brinn, stresses that the new Huawei models that have been marketed since May last year have not been able to go through this security process nor do they carry the aforementioned software . Therefore, they are considered as “not certified”.
Also, downloaded Google applications will not work reliably, because we do not allow these services to run on non-certified devices where security can be compromised. The lateral loading of Google applications also carries a high risk of installing an app that has been altered or altered in a way that could compromise the security of the user ”, adds the legal representative.
