Huawei's upcoming Mate 30 flagship, and perhaps all devices after that, won't have Google apps onboard. That means apps such as Google Play Store, Gmail, and many others, considered to be some of the most crucial additions to any Android phone, will be absent from the Huawei Mate 30 when it comes out.
The reason it can't launch with those apps is because the White House banned U.S. companies, such as Google, from doing business with the Chinese telecommunications firm.
Reuters reports that the Mate 30 will still run Android, which remains an open-source software that's freely available, though Huawei can't release phones with a licensed version of Android anymore. Launching a phone without Google's apps and services onboard could put Huawei customers at a big disadvantage, as those have become crucially important to most people's workflow and digital routines. Gmail, Maps, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and the rest won't be there, in other words, severely limiting the phone's functionality even if there are technically alternatives to these apps.
Huawei Mate 30
Despite the huge setback, Huawei plans to forge ahead with the flagship, adds Reuters. The new Mate 30 line of phones is expected to arrive on Sept. 18, according to a source familiar with the matter, though it's not clear when the devices would hit shelves.
The Mate 30, designed to work on 5G networks, is the first major Huawei flagship since U.S. President Donald Trump blacklisted the company in May, claiming it's involved in activities that undermine national security, something Huawei denies.
While U.S. companies can acquire a license for specific products to be exempted from the ban, Google didn't say whether it had applied for a license to offer its apps and services to the Chinese smartphone maker. Reuters says the U.S. Commerce Department has received more than 130 applications from companies to sell U.S. goods to Huawei. None have been granted.
Chinese Ban
It's not impossible for an Android phone to run without Google apps. Most Chinese phone companies have had to work around the lack of access to Google's Play Store for years, as Google's services are banned in the country. Huawei has been cobbling up its own Play Store alternative since 2018 as a backup plan for when this kind of situation happens. However, the U.S. ban means that it won't be a smooth ride for the company, as major companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and others, won't be allowed to put their apps on that store.
