Shutterstock
Times are tough for a certain Chinese tech company and phone manufacturer. After the Trump administration moved to blacklist Huawei amid security concerns, several major U.S. companies are following suit.
Google, for starters, rescinded Huawei’s Android license. In doing so, the company says they are taking the necessary steps to “comply with the recent US government actions.”
In addition to Google’s actions, several other companies have joined in the ban, including Intel, Broadcom, and Qualcomm. Huawei has been reportedly stockpiling chips in anticipation of being cut off.
The suspension of Huawei’s Android license means their devices will no longer be able to receive Android software and security updates. It may also impact these phones’ ability to access certain Google-owned services and apps like YouTube and Google Maps.
When a new version of Android becomes available, Huawei phones will not be able to obtain it. This means the company’s phones will be left vulnerable without key security updates.
Huawei will instead be forced to develop their own updates based on the open-source version of Android.
Google also halted access to Google Play Services and the Google Play Store for Huawei phones.
While these actions do come amid a trade war with China, concerns over Huawei phones are nothing new. Even last year, the Trump administration expressed concerns regarding the company’s products.
