Imagining a mobile ecosystem without Google seems like science fiction, but for Huawei it became a very real scenario on May 19, 2019. That day, Google's plan to cut off Huawei's access to the Play Store and new versions of Android has been revealed, turning the Chinese manufacturer's global strategy upside down and forcing it to react against the clock.
Since then, the company has had to reinvent itself to avoid depending on Google's services and remain competitive in the international market. Far from remaining idle, Huawei has put together a complete survival guide supported by its own HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) ecosystem, in the creation of an alternative operating system, in the promotion of its AppGallery application store and in an aggressive policy of incentives for developers.
The origin of the conflict: a mobile world without Google for Huawei
The turning point came when the United States added Huawei to its trade blacklist, forcing Google to restrict the manufacturer's access to its ecosystem. Overnight, The continued availability of Google services, full Android updates, and access to the Play Store for Huawei phones was left up in the air., with a potentially huge impact on more than 700 million users worldwide.
Huawei reacted quickly, categorically denying that it was a security threat and trying to mitigate the blow both politically and corporately. The company even warned Google that the break could cost it those 700 million users., a figure that reflects the true scale of the problem and the importance of Huawei in the Android ecosystem.
Despite these warnings and attempts at negotiation, the scenario of a partial or total blockade became increasingly likely. Given this situation, Huawei understood that it could not rely entirely on a possible reversal by the United States or GoogleAnd he began to accelerate all the alternative plans he had in the drawer: his own operating system, a complete mobile services platform, and a new way of relating to developers.
The result of that reaction is a structural change: Huawei stopped being just a manufacturer of "standard" Android phones and started trying to become a complete ecosystem provider.with its own layer of basic services and its own app store, minimizing dependence on third parties.
This whole process has also affected how users perceive the brand. Many have wondered what can be done without pre-installed Gmail, YouTube, or Google Maps, and whether it's really worth continuing to invest in Huawei phones. The company's response has been to build a viable alternative with HMS at its core.and demonstrate that, although change is not trivial, it is possible use your devices without Google.
HarmonyOS: Huawei's lifeline against a possible total ban
One of the key pillars in this survival guide has been the development of its own operating system. Although many initially thought Huawei only had a theoretical plan, in August 2019 the company officially unveiled HarmonyOSmaking it clear that he had been working on a real alternative to Android for some time.
HarmonyOS was born as a distributed operating system, designed to work on mobile phones, wearables, televisions, connected cars and all kinds of smart devices. Huawei's idea is to build a platform capable of unifying its ecosystem beyond the smartphonewith its own technological base that does not depend directly on Google's decisions or US political pressures.
Although the company has always insisted that its first option was to continue using Google-licensed Android, the reality is that HarmonyOS has become a true strategic lifelineIf Washington confirms permanent or more severe restrictions, Huawei is no longer empty-handed: it has a system ready for mass deployment.
Meanwhile, we've already seen devices like the Mate 30 series launch with a curious mix: Android without GoogleIn other words, it's an AOSP (Android Open Source Project) codebase, but without the proprietary applications and services of the American company. This means that these phones don't include Google Play, YouTube, or Gmail as standard, and rely directly on HMS and AppGallery to cover the basic functions that were previously linked to the Google ecosystem.
The big question for the future is to what extent HarmonyOS will manage to maintain the interest of the international public, accustomed to Android and iOS. In that equation, System performance, application compatibility, and user experience will be key factors.Huawei has made it clear that it is prepared to make HarmonyOS a massive reality if the political context demands it, and has already set a timeframe in which this system would inevitably be deployed in its products.
HMS (Huawei Mobile Services): the new backbone of the ecosystem
If HarmonyOS is the operating system, HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) It's the set of basic services that bring applications to life, a kind of "equivalent" to the Google Mobile Services (GMS) used in any traditional Android device. This includes components such as push notifications, location services, payments, login, maps, cloud services, analytics tools, and much more.
Huawei has made it clear that it wants HMS to be the foundation of the next chapter in its history. To that end, has announced a $1.000 billion investment aimed at boosting the entire HMS ecosystemThis amount is not provided in a lump sum, but is divided into several lines of support: a Development Fund, a User Growth Fund, and a Marketing Fund aimed at giving visibility to the apps.
The objective is crystal clear: Convince developers to integrate HMS kits and APIs into their applicationsso that these apps work perfectly on the brand's phones even if they don't have Google services. Without this integration, many apps would be lacking in key areas like maps, notifications, or payments, hence the importance of putting forward a solid and compelling strategy.
In addition to direct funding, Huawei offers access to all its tools, technical documentation, support, and specific programs to facilitate adaptation. The company knows that without a complete and well-integrated catalog of applications, no ecosystem can survive.Therefore, this multi-million dollar investment is a medium- and long-term bet to consolidate HMS globally.
This move not only responds to a current urgency due to the conflict with Google, but also fits with a broader trend: Huawei wants to control key services on its platform, reduce dependence on external providers, and build its own environment where it can set the pace of innovation. without always being subject to the decisions of third parties.
AppGallery: the app store as the main battleground
In any modern mobile ecosystem, The app store is the showcase where much of a platform's success or failure is decided.In the case of Huawei, AppGallery It is the central focus of their proposal without Google, and for this reason it has become one of the priority areas within the HMS strategy.
The company boasts considerable figures: According to data provided by Huawei, AppGallery generates around 180.000 billion downloads per yearThis magnitude demonstrates that we are no longer talking about a marginal or residual store, but a platform with a relevant volume of activity at a global level.
Even so, the biggest challenge lies in the quality and variety of the catalog. At the time the conflict with Google intensified, AppGallery lacked key applications for the average user, such as Facebook, WhatsApp or SpotifyThis absence made many potential buyers think twice before opting for a Huawei mobile without GMS, because they saw their daily use of the device as being at risk.
Huawei has identified this deficiency as a strategic problem and has focused on reversing it. The goal is to achieve a catalog as similar as possible to that of the Play Store, with the sole exception of Google's own apps and services.which, for obvious reasons, are excluded. To partially compensate for this lack, executives like Richard Yu, CEO of the consumer division, have indicated that users can always resort to web versions of services like YouTube, Google Drive, and other similar products, accessing them through a browser.
This hybrid approach, combining native apps available on AppGallery with web access to services that cannot be in the store, This is part of Huawei's transition strategy to make the impact of not having Google as painless as possible.As more companies and developers decide to upload their apps to AppGallery and adopt HMS, that dependence on the web will decrease.
To achieve this, Huawei is conducting targeted campaigns with large companies, startups, and development studios, offering them in-store visibility, promotions, featured listings, and marketing tools. The goal is for them to see AppGallery not just as a backup platform, but as a primary distribution channel with millions of potential users. and better economic conditions than the dominant alternatives.
Economic incentives: paying developers more to gain traction
If there is one area where Huawei can differentiate itself from Google and Apple, it is in revenue sharing. During a private conference, Richard Yu floated a bold idea: that developers could keep between 80% and 90% of the revenue from each purchase. made in its applications within AppGallery.
To understand the scope of this proposal, it's worth remembering that both Apple and Google traditionally maintain a 70/30 model, in which 70% of the purchase price goes to the developer and 30% is kept by the platformwith occasional variations depending on the type of subscription or promotions. Huawei's proposal would significantly exceed that benchmark, foregoing a substantial portion of its direct margin on each transaction.
The logic behind this approach is clear: If a developer earns more money on AppGallery than on other stores, they will have a strong incentive to adapt their app to HMS and prioritize a presence in the Huawei ecosystem.In this way, the company sacrifices part of its short-term revenue in exchange for building a powerful catalog of applications, which in the long run is what gives value to the devices and builds user loyalty.
This strategy is complemented by the development and marketing funds mentioned earlier, which can cover everything from the technical costs of migrating an app to HMS to campaigns to help users discover and download the application. A developer who sees their financial risk reduced and their monetization options increased has many more reasons to invest in a new platform.although it does not yet have the same volume of users as the established giants.
Although these 80/20 or 90/10 split plans have been presented as ideas under study and their concrete implementation may vary depending on the region or type of app, They send a clear message to the market: Huawei is willing to compete for developers with tangible incentives.Not just with promises for the future. For a company that wants to build an alternative ecosystem in record time, these kinds of gestures are almost essential.
An ecosystem under construction: challenges, opportunities and the future of the HMS environment
Huawei's series of moves since 2019 paints a picture of an ambitious plan: to create its own ecosystem capable of surviving and growing even without Google's umbrellaHarmonyOS provides the operating system base, HMS replaces Google Mobile Services, and AppGallery acts as an application store and meeting point between users and developers.
The company hasn't wasted any time: Some of their strategies are already in operation (such as the expansion of AppGallery and HMS kits), others are in the deployment phase (such as the multi-million dollar funds to support the ecosystem), and some are still being defined, such as the final revenue-sharing models with developers.All of this has been adjusted as the international political and regulatory context has changed.
For users, this scenario has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, Losing direct access to Google apps on new devices represents a significant change in habits.which may be inconvenient at first. On the other hand, the existence of alternatives like HarmonyOS, AppGallery, and HMS allows Huawei phones to continue being used with an ever-increasing range of applications and services, while also fostering greater diversity in the market.
In terms of competition, Huawei's move introduces a third relevant player into a space that until now has been dominated by the Android-iOS duo with Google services at the center. If Huawei's strategy pays off and gains enough traction among users and developers, the global mobile ecosystem could become more pluralistic., with more options and different business models for all parties involved.
Ultimately, what is at stake is not just the future of a specific brand, but the way in which mobile services are structured globally. Huawei has decided that, faced with the threat of a world without Google on its devices, the only viable way out is to forge its own path with HarmonyOS, HMS, AppGallery and an aggressive incentive package.It remains to be seen how far this gamble will go, but what is already clear is that the company has not remained idle and has laid the foundations for an alternative ecosystem with long-term ambitions.
