The US government's ban on trading with Chinese companies has dealt a severe blow to Huawei , as it has been forced to stop offering its new terminals with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) instead of Google Mobile Services (GMS).
In other words, this means that all the new phones the company has launched since the ban began do not have access to the Play Store , and therefore, to any Google apps. Huawei's latest plan involves requesting that the search giant offer its apps in the App Gallery.
The App Gallery is Huawei's alternative to the Play Store, a store that comes pre-installed on Huawei and Honor smartphones. While the app ecosystem is gradually growing, it's not yet the ideal replacement for those who rely on Google apps . Huawei's solution is to request that Google offer its apps in the App Gallery, just as it currently does in Apple's App Store.
According to the President of Huawei, Eric Xu in statements to CNBC:
We hope that Google services can be made available through our AppGallery, just as Google services are available through the Apple App Store.
Unlike the apps it offers for iOS, Google wouldn't have to create a new set of apps, but it would have to adapt them to the libraries used in Huawei's mobile operating system , since they are not the same as those offered by GMS.
What we don't know is whether Google would be willing to launch its apps in another Android store, especially now that the big Chinese manufacturers want to create their own joint app store, taking a slice of the pie that Google currently has, so it's likely that this idea will have a happy ending.
What we don't know is to what extent it would be legally possible for Google to offer its apps within the Huawei ecosystem without violating the current trade ban with Huawei. If Huawei's plans ultimately materialize, the new P40 series, which the Asian company unveiled a few days ago, would be much more appealing in the West.
Currently, Google services can be installed on all Huawei smartphones , but it's not a process most users without technical knowledge are willing to undertake. Consumers want to turn on their phones, insert their SIM cards, and install the apps they regularly use—apps that, unfortunately, aren't available in Huawei's App Gallery.
