Huawei says Google’s Android OS will still be first choice as company struggles to find alternatives

Huawei’s Austrian head first said the company will not go back to Google’s services even if the ban is lifted. Huawei has responded stating the opposite.

Huawei launched the Mate 30 phones last year. Huawei Mate 30 series run on the new EMUI 10 based on Android 10 but without Google apps. (REUTERS)

The US-China trade war has visibly affected Huawei the most with the company losing out on Google's official services. Huawei moved on by developing its own operating system (OS) for its future phones. But the company admitted Google's absence is hurting its phone business. A new report has now stated that Huawei will not use Google apps for its phones even if the ban is lifted.

This comes from Huawei's Austrian country manager Fred Wangfei who told Der Standard that the company will not return to Google's services even if the US ban is lifted. Wangfei explained how Huawei wants to no longer depend on US politics which could potentially create future troubles for the company.

Interestingly, shortly after this report was published, Huawei released a statement (via 9to5Google) which doesn't echo the same feelings.

"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," Huawei said.

Although Huawei didn't completely refute Wangfei's statement, the company does suggest it will use Google's services if given a chance to. For now Huawei is focusing on building its own ecosystem and apps which would serve as alternatives to Google's. All eyes are on the Huawei P40 which is due to launch in March and a major launch for the company.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Huawei is rushing to find alternatives to Google apps as the launch of P40 nears. Huawei has been hosting events for developers in cities like New Delhi, Warsaw and Sao Paulo where the company is promising cash rewards to develop apps. Huawei also said it is investing $1.5 billion in app development.