The US government has added Huawei to a blacklist of companies restricted from doing business with US companies due to escalating trade tensions and security concerns between the US and China. This means that Huawei can no longer use Google's Android operating system, Google Play Store, or other Google services on their devices.
Existing Huawei devices will continue to receive software and security updates for 90 days, but after that, they will no longer receive updates or support. Huawei relies heavily on US companies like Qualcomm, Intel, and Microsoft for components and software, which could severely impact their ability to produce future devices.
Huawei has been working on a backup operating system that supports Android apps, but it's unclear how successful this will be. The company may be able to continue producing devices without US components, but they will likely struggle to replace the Google Play Store and other Google services.
The impact of this ban could be severe, not only for Huawei but also for the technology industry as a whole, as it reduces competition and could lead to higher prices and fewer options for consumers.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Huawei is a Chinese company and the second-largest smartphone vendor globally, after Samsung.
2. The US and China have been escalating a trade war.
3. There have been security concerns over Huawei's potential ties to the Chinese government.
4. The US government signed an executive order adding Huawei to a blacklist of companies restricted from doing business with US companies.
5. Google, a US company, complied with the executive order and stopped doing business with Huawei, including pulling their Android license.
6. Huawei devices will still receive software updates and security patches for 90 days, but after that, they will not receive further updates.
7. Google services, such as Google Play and Google Play Protect, will still function on existing Huawei devices for now.
8. Huawei has been building a backup operating system that supports Android apps.
9. Huawei has been working on building its own app store.
10. The US government's executive order restricts Huawei from doing business with US companies, including Microsoft, Intel, and NVIDIA.
11. Huawei has a three-month stockpile of parts, according to Bloomberg.
12. Huawei spent $70 billion on components last year, with $11 billion going to US companies like Qualcomm and Intel.
13. Huawei makes its own Kirin 980 chip for the Mate 20 Pro and P30 Pro.
14. Huawei's Mate X folding phone may not be able to run Android due to the US ban.
15. ZTE, another Chinese company, was cut off from US business relationships in 2018 and never fully recovered.