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Huawei says existing devices will continue receiving Android updates

By Anam Hamid

Published: Aug 18, 2020, 5:47 PM

Huawei says existing devices will continue receiving Android updates

Huawei has confirmed that its devices will continue to receive software and security updates, reports Huawei Central.

Hi there, thank you for your message. There is no impact on existing devices. We will continue to share security and software updates to our devices, as we always have. If you have any questions, please let us know via DM.
— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) August 17, 2020

Last year, Google stopped providing non-public software to the company to comply with a US blacklist.

The company was provided a temporary relief which allowed it to provide software updates to its existing phones. Handsets launched after the trade ban come with an open-source version of Android and lack key services and apps.

The temporary general license expired recently and this raised speculations that older Huawei and Honor phones would stop receiving Android updates from Google.

Huawei says that phones that were released before it was put on the entity list have not been impacted and will keep getting updates.

As for the new devices which do not feature Google Mobile Services (GMS), updates will be managed through Huawei's AppGallery.

Google is yet to corroborate Huawei's claim

Google had previously said it would keep providing updates as long as the government lets it do so. There is no indication from its side that it will continue sending out updates now that the temporary general license has expired.

The Commerce Department recently said that the license will not be extended.

The US shows no intention of letting Huawei off easily as is evident by a recent move that aims to make it even harder for the company to source chips. The company recently said it could no longer make its own chips because of restrictions imposed by the US government and that the Mate 40 will be its last phone to have a Kirin chip.

Later this year, the manufacturer is expected to launch its first phone with Harmony OS, its own operating system.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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