Huawei could already have its own App Store to counter Google Ban

Although the Commerce Department recently granted US technology companies a 90-day extension to continue working with Huawei, due to growing security concerns and the threat of banning the use of American technology, Huawei is forced to prepare for a future without access to Google. and apps hosted on Play Store.

However, if a new Bloomberg report announces it, Huawei could be much closer to creating its own independent app store than most people may have realized. This is because the Application Gallery is preloaded on almost all recent Huawei phone models, which, like Google's Play Store, is an alternative way to download applications to Huawei phones.

The big difference is that, because the application gallery requires a Huawei ID account instead of a Google account and that it has no direct link with Google or the Play Store of Google, Huawei should be able to continue to use the application gallery to distribute applications to its users. long after the expiry of the current 90-day extension.

Some may think that this is only a coincidence, but with the threats to prohibit Huawei from using US technology and software for several years, a future without Play Store is something that Huawei had plenty of time to prepare. And although the current political climate in the United States has forced Huawei's hand, the real shock would have been that Huawei has not already considered any workaround.

It's a similar situation for Android itself – or at least the version of Android that people know in the United States, provided with Google's extensive portfolio of apps and services – this which is another thing that Huawei may have to abandon if the DOC's technical ban comes into effect. . Although Android is open source, the Google version of the mobile operating system includes many features that users expect, as well as access to the Google Play store.

But like the Play Store, Huawei also has a plan for this eventuality. The South China Morning Post recently announced that Huawei claims to have its own operating system for smartphones and computers already under development. Huawei's claim dates back to April 2018, when another Chinese telecommunications equipment and ZTE handset manufacturer was banned from using US technology after ZTE was found guilty of violating state sanctions. -United.

Anyway, even if Huawei has already planned local substitutes for Android and the Google Play Store, the ban on using the United States will inevitably lead to major headaches, both for Huawei and for users of the game. Huawei devices.