Stop being ridiculous

Since news of the ban on Huawei hit and the potential effect it could have on customers, many have been worrying about the future of their phones from the Chinese giant. People are panicking, and are seriously considering selling their newly bought phones second hand for a loss.

Frankly, this is ridiculous.

While Huawei is effectively losing the ability to license and use Google services moving forward, current Huawei models in the market WILL NOT be losing access to Google services, and everything will function as normal.

Here’s a direct quote from the Reuters report:

Holders of current Huawei smartphones with Google apps, however, will continue to be able to use and download app updates provided by Google, a Google spokesperson said, confirming earlier reporting by Reuters.

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

“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.

And the definitive word from Google themselves:

For Huawei users’ questions regarding our steps to comply w/ the recent US government actions: 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.

— Android (@Android) May 20, 2019

 

The biggest problem here is that you’ll be losing timely security updates to Android Pie, and your phone will likely not be updated to the next version of Android.

Obviously, that’s not ideal, but that doesn’t mean your newly bought P30 Pro, P30 or any other recently bought device is now a useless paperweight. You’ll be able to enjoy your phone as normal. You already paid for the thing full price, now you want to sell it at a huge loss?

Moving forward, things are not set in stone. Huawei is a recent casualty in an escalating trade war with the US, and China is likely to respond with a stiffer tariff or penalty that may or may not reverse the decision. Huawei may respond with legal action (as it has done in the past), or it can appeal the decision.

The point is things are not set in stone yet, and the situation is incredibly fluid. There’s still a lot of things that can change moving forward, and the bottom line is that you can still enjoy using their phones without having to worry about being cut off from Google services.