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Huawei
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Huawei offers British and Irish developers US$26 million to build apps for its new operating system

  • Chinese tech giant Huawei is trying to lure developers to build apps for its flagship phones after it was cut off from Google's services on Android
  • Huawei phones can still run Android, but the company now needs its own viable app ecosystem to replace lost Google services such as app store

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Chinese tech giant Huawei was put on a trade blacklist known as an “entity list” last year, forcing US companies to seek government permission before they can do business with the company. Photo: AP
Business Insider

Huawei is trying to cobble together its own app ecosystem after being cut off from Google, and is actively trying to lure app developers with the promise of funding.

In May 2019, the Trump administration placed Huawei on a trade blacklist known as an “entity list”, forcing US companies to seek government permission before they can do business with the company.

One consequence was a shock announcement from Google that it would yank the licensed version of its Android mobile operating system from upcoming Huawei devices.

This was a major blow, partly because it meant new Huawei phones could no longer come with Google-made apps pre-installed. While Huawei phones are popular in Western countries, a key reason is because Android users can access popular services and apps like the Play Store, Gmail and Google Maps.

While older Huawei phones still have access to Google's Play Store, new phones are bereft of Google-made apps and services, known as Google Mobile Services. Huawei released its first flagship phone with no Google apps with the Mate 30 in September last year, and the company's upcoming P40 phone (due in March) will also have no Google services.

The company's solution is to try and build an app ecosystem of its own, and to that end it hosted a developer day in London on Wednesday where it announced a £20 million (US$26 million) investment to entice British and Irish app developers to make apps for its own Huawei App Gallery.

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