Photograph: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Huawei has lengthy been a troubled expertise firm, because the 2019 sanctions dramatically impacted its worldwide operations.
Huawei tried to get across the US sanctions – which forbid the corporate from utilizing software program and {hardware} belonging to American firms – by utilizing the open-source model of Android. HarmonyOS was Huawei’s response to a world with out Google, albeit the platform was roughly an Android fork that also allowed customers to run Android apps with the proper toolkit.
In plain English, Huawei not used Android, however because of its working system working on Android code, it was nonetheless attainable to run apps constructed for Google’s platform.
The whole lot is now coming to an finish.
Huawei is prepared for the following step of its transition from Google merchandise. HarmonyOS NEXT, the corporate’s upcoming working system projected to energy its cellular merchandise, will not supply Android help. It will be constructed with out Google’s software program, so putting in Android purposes will not be attainable.
Huawei has been working onerous with builders to construct apps particularly for its personal platform reasonably than growing the required sources to permit HarmonyOS to run Android apps. Now that the undertaking has gained traction, and its in-house OS already has the important app assortment, Huawei can go all-in on an working system with out Android app help.
Huawei claims this technique will considerably enhance efficiency and cut back battery consumption, so cellular units working its working system will see notable upgrades in comparison with Android telephones.
Huawei giving up on the Android app help is mainly the tip of Android Auto on the corporate’s upcoming cellular units.
If you happen to’ve bought a Huawei cellphone in the previous couple of years, you in all probability know that getting Android Auto to run on the system has been a serious problem. Whereas expert devs locally managed to search out methods to get Android Auto up and working with a Huawei cellphone – albeit not all Huawei telephones – the method was a serious ache within the neck for newcomers. Many gave up, counting on their cellular units for something that may have in any other case been obtainable on Android Auto.
Huawei has been making an attempt to fill within the hole with software program that’s supposed to interchange Google’s companies, together with Google Maps. Petal Maps is a navigation app that has not often acquired updates recently, providing turn-by-turn steerage, offline maps, real-time site visitors apps, and different important capabilities that get customers from the place they’re to the place they wish to be extra conveniently.
Huawei is but to substantiate this technique, however contemplating its investments in HarmonyOS NEXT, the transition off Android is anticipated to be introduced later this yr.
