Monday, May 20, 2019

Huawei owner? Google says services to 'keep functioning' on existing devices


MANILA -- Google said Monday services will continue to work on existing Huawei devices, following reports that it suspended the transfer of hardware and software to the Chinese giant to comply with Washington's directive.

The Trump administration on Thursday added Huawei to a trade blacklist, immediately enacting restrictions that will make it difficult for the company to do business with US counterparts.

Washington's move came as the US and China struggled to resolve a months-long trade war.

"We assure you while we are complying with all US gov't requirements, services like Google Play & security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on your existing Huawei device," Google said on the official Twitter account of its Android platform.

Huawei is the world's second largest smartphone vendor after Samsung and is the largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment on the planet.

Shenzhen-based Huawei grew sales by 50 percent in 2018, shipping 59.1 million smartphones, bucking the industry slowdown. Samsung's sales slipped 8.1 percent while Apple suffered a decline of 30.2 percent.

In March, Huawei released its quad-camera P30 Pro, which runs on Android 9 Pie.

source: news.abs-cbn.com