Blow To Huawei As Google Blocks Its Access To Gmail, YouTube, Play Store Services

Google has dealt a major blow to Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei after cutting business ties that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing.

According to reports, Google’s move is inline with recent United States government crackdown on the Chinese technology over ongoing security concerns.

The new move will see the tech giant blocked from using critical applications and services like Gmail and YouTube on its range of smartphones.

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Google, however, affirmed that current holders of Huawei smartphones will continue to use and receive updates provided by Google.

“We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,” Google spokesperson told Reuters.

“For users of our services, Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices,” the spokesperson said, without giving further details.

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The suspension is deemed to cripple Huawei’s services, as future versions of its smartphones that run on Android will lose access to popular services, including Google Play, Gmail and YouTube that most consumers now rely on.

“Huawei will only be able to use the public version of Android and will not be able to get access to proprietary apps and services from Google,” the source said.

China has been facing trade wars with US over data privacy.

Also Read:Google Fined Ksh171 Billion In Competitors Advertising Row

The Donald Trump administration on Thursday added Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to a trade blacklist, immediately enacting restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the company to do business with U.S. counterparts.

However, the extent to which the Chinese firm will be hurt is still not very clear even as Chinese experts question Huawei’s ability to continue to operate without help from the United States.

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