Huawei may not use Google Mobile Services even if US ban is lifted

The main reason Huawei does not want to go back to Google Mobile Services even after the ban is lifted is that there is no guarantee such a ban would not be imposed again.

Huawei may continue to use the open source Android platform in future. (REUTERS)

Reiterating the commitment to develop its own ecosystem, a Huawei executive has said that the company may not use Google Mobile Services for its future phones even if a trade ban limiting its use is lifted, the media reported.

According to a report by Austrian publication DerStandard, Huawei executive Fred Wangfei said the main reason Huawei does not want to go back to Google Mobile Services even after the ban is lifted is that there is no guarantee such a ban would not be imposed again.

However, the world's second-largest smartphone seller may continue to use the open source Android platform.

As a replacement to the Google Mobile Services, the Chinese giant is building the Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), while its has also developed HarmonyOS, an operating system.

Under the terms of the previous US trade ban, Google was barred from selling Android license to Huawei, meaning its phones could use the base open-source code, but would not have access to the all-important Play Store and Google apps.

A temporary licence was issued which allows Google to support and update the Android OS currently running on existing Huawei devices. However, the trade ban has affected the development of future products.

"An open Android ecosystem is still our first choice, but if we are not able to continue to use it, we have the ability to develop our own," TechRadar quoted a statement from the company as saying.

The Huawei P40 series, expected in March, could come with Huawei Mobile Services, said the report this week.

If HMS rolls out in future phones, Google may make its suite of apps such as Gmail, YouTube, Maps, etc. available on Huawei devices via this new shopfront just as the American search giant offers its suite of apps on the Apple App Store.