Facebook suspends the pre-installation of the application on Huawei phones

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Inc. no longer allows the pre-installation of its applications on Huawei phones, the latest blow to the Chinese technology giant as it struggles to keep its business afloat in the face US ban on purchasing US components and software. .

Customers already having a Huawei phone will still be able to use its apps and receive updates, Facebook told Reuters. But new Huawei phones will no longer be able to install pre-installed Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram apps.

Smartphone providers often enter into commercial agreements to pre-install popular applications such as Facebook. Apps such as Twitter and Booking.com are also preinstalled on Huawei phones in many markets. Twitter Inc declined to comment and Booking Holdings did not respond to a request.

The decision by Facebook changes the sales prospects of Huawei Technologies, whose smartphone market has become its main revenue generator last year, fueled by strong growth in Europe and Asia.

Huawei refused to comment.

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Google, Alphabet Inc, had previously announced that it would no longer provide Android software for Huawei phones after the expiration of a 90-day period granted by the US government in August. But the Google Playstore and all Google apps will still be available for current Huawei phone models, including those that are not yet delivered or even built.

The ban on Facebook, on the other hand, applies to any Huawei phone that has not yet left the factory, according to a person familiar with the case. Facebook declined to comment when the suspension took place.

In May, Washington banned US companies from providing technology to Huawei, as part of a lengthy campaign against the company. The United States alleges that Huawei is too close to the Chinese government and that its telecommunication network equipment and other products could be a means of espionage, which Huawei denies.

Buyers of current Huawei phone models on which Facebook is not preinstalled would still be able to download it from the Google Playstore. Future versions of Huawei phones will, however, not have access to the Google Playstore and its apps unless the US government changes course.

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Huawei said he was ready for US action and pledged to avoid any disruption. However, some store customers in Europe and Asia told Reuters they were reluctant to buy Huawei phones because of uncertainties, and analysts expect a dramatic drop in Huawei smartphone sales.

(Katie Paul's report in San Francisco, additional report by Tony Munroe in Beijing and Sijia Jiang in Hong Kong, edited by Stephen Coates)