The fallout of the U.S. government’s trade blacklist against Huawei resulted in Google revoking the Chinese company’s Android license.
This means Huawei smartphones sold outside of China would no longer have access to Google services such as the Play Store and apps like Gmail, plus software updates.
Now, Huawei Canada has responded to the Android ban, in an issued statement to iPhone in Canada.
“Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world. As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefitted both users and the industry,” explained a spokesperson.
Despite the Android ban, Huawei Canada says they will “continue to provide security updates and after sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products covering those have been sold or still in stock globally.”
“We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally,” added the Huawei Canada spokesperson.
Back in April, it was reported Huawei was planning its own software for its smartphones, hedging against a potential U.S. blacklist.
Google’s statement on the Android ban is, “We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications. For users of our services, Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices.”
The U.S. blacklist of Huawei has resulted in chipmakers such as Intel and Qualcomm to cease partnerships with the Chinese company, Bloomberg reported earlier today.
Canada and China are currently dealing with tense diplomatic relations, after Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver last December, at the request of U.S. authorities, over allegations of violating sanctions against Iran.
The Trudeau government is still undergoing a security review of 5G networks, to decide whether or not to ban Huawei, which is accused by the U.S. as capable of espionage, due to its ties to the Chinese Communist Government.
Huawei has recently engaged in a public relations blitz to claim it is independent of the Chinese government, pledging it would be willing to sign “no-spy” agreements with governments, while also citing it has had a clean track record operating in Canada over the past 10 years.
