Last year, Huawei got ready for a tough ride when US President Donald Trump called for a trade ban on the Chinese technology giant.
Huawei has been on the U.S. entity list since May 2019, so it has been unable to do business with U.S. companies unless the U.S. government approves it.
This move essentially cut Huawei off from delivering parts in the U.S. like the latest chips from Intel and Qualcomm. However, the biggest impact was that access to Google’s licensed software, apps and services was definitely lost.
The only question that stunned fans and users was what would happen if future Huawei phones could do without Google's Android and Google Mobile Services (GMS) such as Gmail, Google Chrome and Google Maps.
Well, it's already the reality we live in.
Instead of paralyzing under its obstacles, Huawei shows how they continue to bring out powerful smartphones that don't compromise their usability.
Mate 30: The first smartphone from Huawei without Google
Credit: Vulcan Post
While models released before the ban got a respite, the Huawei Mate 30 launched in September 2019 was officially the first flagship smartphone series to be shipped without Google.
As was to be expected, Huawei maintained its standard of first-class technical data and an impressive camera and this time also offered excellent possibilities for videography.
What people weren't so sure of was revealing their Google replacement Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) and how exactly it offered a solution.
We learned a few facts later that solve a little puzzles.
Interestingly, the idea that "Huawei phones without Google are no longer Android devices" is little more than a myth.
The Android version of Google may not be allowed. However, the operating system is also available to other developers through the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
Huawei is now building its EMUI 10 user interface and the newly introduced HMS on the open source code of Android.
This means (especially for die-hard Android users) that the Mate 30 still runs like an Android phone and can download Android apps. The same applies to future Huawei phones like the upcoming P40 series.
A growing gallery of apps
Most of us would agree that a smartphone is only as useful as the apps it can run.
Despite the loss of the Google Play Store, the new phones from Huawei are now preinstalled with their own app store called AppGallery starting with the Mate 30.
Photo credit: XDA developer
What we know so far is that it spans a wide range of 18 app categories, from games to lifestyle to education.
According to Huawei, the AppGallery is still under construction, which can only mean that it will get bigger and better in the coming time.
So far, they have worked with app developers to give them an understanding of HMS and to help them create apps that can be integrated into the ecosystem.
The organization of Huawei Developer Day events has registered over 1.07 million developers worldwide as Huawei Developers, and so far over 50,000 apps have been integrated into HMS.
Credit: Vulcan Post
The technology giant had also previously announced it would invest $ 1 billion in its program to bring more apps to AppGallery in 2020.
Users in Singapore would be happy to know that they can already download local apps like Carousell and FairPrice.
Since the launch of the Mate 30 in Singapore at the end of October last year, Huawei has expanded the AppGallery with an increase in the number of available local apps by almost 60% and plans to expand it further in the later half of 2020.
Do you need your favorite apps? No problem.
Credit: Vulcan Post
Still, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are among the most commonly used apps on Google's Play Store, and we believe that their absence is a pretty big nuisance to everyday life for most smartphone users these days.
However, there are some simple workarounds (yes, legitimate) to get these apps on a Huawei phone without Google.
Credit: Vulcan Post
The top option recommended by the company is Phone Clone, a free Huawei data migration app that lets you transfer data, files, and even apps from your old phone to your new Huawei phone using a QR code.
Transferring apps works if your old phone is an Android phone. Currently this is a fairly reliable way to port important apps that are not yet available in AppGallery.
Hard times against a hard brand
Despite a challenging year in 2019, Huawei's numbers were better than most expected last year, and are likely to suggest that the company will not sink as easily.
Huawei again overtook Apple and ranked second among the world's highest smartphone shipments in 2019, as it did in the second quarter of 2018.
It was also the only brand among the world's top five smartphone sellers that saw double-digit sales growth in the third quarter of 2019, even after the U.S. trade ban came into force.
In fact, Huawei has even broken its own records, posting over 240 million smartphone shipments worldwide in 2019, up from over 200 million in 2018.
While its decline was largely broken by the Chinese market not using Google services, Huawei appears to have quickly adjusted to ensuring that international fans can continue to enjoy their products without too much of an impact.
It has been confirmed that the P40 series will be launched in March 2020. Following the traces of the well-received P30 and Mate 30 versions, this year's start will also be exciting. We can't wait to see how Huawei's new era evolves.
This article was written in collaboration with Huawei.
Selected image source: Vulcan Post
