By some estimates, Huawei smartphones are the most popular brand in Costa Rica.
But the hundreds of thousands of Costa Ricans who use phones created by Chinese company may be impacted by the United States’ ban on the tech giants.
After the U.S. government blacklisted Huawei, saying the company poses a national security risk, the ramifications could be felt in Costa Rica and worldwide.
Google, the U.S.-based creators of the Android operating system used by many Huawei devices, said it is “complying with the order and reviewing the implications” of the United States’ declaration and that existing phones will continue to function.
“Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices,” a spokesperson said.
But according to The Verge, Huawei phones running Google’s operating system won’t receive future Android OS updates. New Huawei smartphones would not have access to the Play Store or Play Services, which is necessary to run Google-made apps such as Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps.
Huawei released a statement saying it will “continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products, covering those that have been sold and that are still in stock globally.”
If the U.S. blacklist isn’t removed, the Chinese tech giant may need to develop its own mobile operating system to replace Android, a move for which Huawei has reportedly prepared.
Read Huawei’s full statement below:
Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world. As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefitted both users and the industry. Huawei will continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products, covering those that have been sold and that are still in stock globally. We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally.
Featured photo by Designer2k2 via Wikimedia commons.
