Since Huawei was listed on the so-called entity list in the US, which barred the company from trading with its close US allies, Google has been very silent on the matter. The company, however, broke the silence recently, clearing the air on the issue.
“…Google is prohibited from working with Huawei on new device models or providing Google’s apps, including Gmail, Maps, YouTube, the Play Store, and others for preload or download on these devices,” wrote Tristan Ostrowski, Android & Play Legal Director.
The company also addresses on-going confusion about new devices coming from the company, launching now or those launched earlier after the ban but entering new markets now.
Google says its Google Mobile Service is only available for Play to Protect certified devices. For any device to be considered Play Protect certified, the company does a “rigorous” security review and compatibility testing process. Devices that pass the process are then preloaded with Google Play Protect, which can detect if the hardware is compromised.
Due to the on-going ban, Huawei devices released after the ban (May 16th, 2019) have not undergone this process and hence do not ship with Play Protect preloaded, thus considered “uncertified.”
That means the new devices won’t have access to Google Mobile apps and services out of the box.
And because you might be tempted to sideload Google apps and services, the company warns they won’t work reliably. Google also discourages that sideloading presents a security risk saying the apps may be altered in ways to compromise user security.
To Huawei devices that were released before May 16th, Google has continued to work with Huawei to provide security updates and update their GMS apps in line with the government regulations.
As per the government regulations, Google can work with Huawei only on devices launched before May 16th – and will continue as long as it is allowed.
“Our focus has been protecting the security of Google users on the millions of existing Huawei devices around the world.”
