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Huawei smartphone owners: Here’s what the Google ban means to you

All your burning questions answered following US ban on Huawei

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Huawei smartphone owners: Here’s what the Google ban means to you
Karen Chiu
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Last week, the Trump administration barred Huawei and dozens of its affiliates from buying US technology. We’ve since learned that Google, among other American companies, will comply with the order. And given that Huawei’s phones outside China use Google’s flavor of Android, what does this mean for those devices? What happens to Gmail, YouTube or the Google Play Store?

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If you’ve got a Huawei or Honor phone, or if you’re thinking about buying one, here’s what you need to know:

1) I’m using a Huawei smartphone -- what happens now?

Let’s bring you the good news first: There’s no need to dump your phone right away. Existing devices will continue to have access to Google Play, along with all the Android apps carried on the store. Google Play Protect, which scans apps for malware before you download them, stays as well.
You’ll also continue to receive Android security updates. Before a temporary reprieve from the US government expires on August 20, Huawei will still receive early bird notifications about Android vulnerabilities from Google as usual. After that, Huawei can get security patches through the Android Open Source Project.

As for system updates, Google is expected to release the final version of Android Q in August, hopefully just in time for Huawei.

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But here’s the bad news: As it stands, after August, Huawei will no longer be able to get system updates in advance from Google. Instead, it will have to wait until they become available on open source Android, which means your phone may receive updates later than other handsets.

2) I’ve been wanting to get a Huawei smartphone -- should I still buy one?

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