Huawei became the first company to be denied access to Google services. Unlike all other Chinese brands that do not buy a license for Google Mobile Services of their own free will, Huawei simply has no right to do so due to the US sanctions. Therefore, the Chinese decided that they would try to live without the services of the search giant, replacing them with their own developments. The only pity is that at the moment the level of development of branded services Huawei does not reach the point that they could compete with Google. But it is the services that keeps Android.
Google services are the foundation Android
Is it possible to replace Google Play
Despite the fact that users Android by and large were never tied to Google Play, since they had the opportunity to download software from any resources, for the vast majority of the main source of applications was still the Google branded directory. Not only is it more convenient than downloading APK files or looking for third-party app stores, it's also more profitable in terms of choice. After all, no other directory can boast of such a wide range as Google Play.
Google Play – directory with the largest number of applications
Huawei is trying to make something digestible from its AppGallery, but now most of the software is not there, and this for many is a serious reason not to buy smartphones from a Chinese brand. After all, what does the user want? The user wants to have access to the applications that he is used to using. AppGallery has neither WhatsApp, nor Facebook, nor Telegram. Needless to say, if most of the banking applications are not there either. Perhaps they will appear in the future, but until they are delivered, Huawei nothing shines.
Why Google Mobile Services is needed
But apps are not the most important thing. It turns out that some developers who publish their software in AppGallery simply cannot adapt it to work without Google services. The thing is that Google Mobile Services is a huge set of various services and mechanisms that are responsible for the operation of regular and third-party applications. GMS provide notifications, background updates, geolocation and much more. Huawei – and other manufacturers, in general, too -, unfortunately, do not.
Huawei came up with its own replacement for Google Mobile Services, but so far it works frankly so-so
Yes, Huawei we managed to create Huawei Mobile Services, which already support about 40 thousand applications. But here's the problem – many developers have to seriously rewrite the scheme of their programs for this, which they absolutely do not want to do. But there are services that are either not available Huawei, or they work very badly. For example, contactless payments. Of course, I remember that the Chinese agreed with the Wallet service, which also allows contactless payments, but this is nothing more than a half measure. See for yourself.
Despite the fact that 'Pay Wallet' can work as a regular contactless payment tool, being activated by default, like Google Pay, it is in many ways inferior to the proprietary service of the search giant. Let's start with the fact that, in principle, it does not support Visa cards, working only with MasterCard. I don't know about you, but I have two out of four bank cards issued by Visa, so for me the inability to add them to make contactless payments is a serious limitation. But there are also restrictions on banks, not to mention the fact that 'Pay Wallet' is generally not accepted by any website or online service like 'Yandex.Taxi' or Ozon, unlike Google Pay.
Why there are no Android updates
Without GMS, updates will be released later and less frequently. About the same as now Huawei
With the release of Android 10, Google began developing the Project Mainline initiative. It is a continuation of the Project Treble modular architecture, which allowed dividing Android into several components, depending on the smartphone manufacturer and on the component suppliers, due to which it was possible to reduce the time and labor costs for adapting updates Android. With Project Mainline, the search giant wants to make it possible to distribute security updates via Google Play to all compatible smartphones directly.
But if smartphones Huawei – and other brands too – do not have access to Google Play, then there will be no security updates, at least in time. And this, in my opinion, is a serious problem. After all, such updates do not just eliminate vulnerabilities, they fix critical flaws in the operating system, making it more stable. Itself Huawei is rather negligent about supporting its devices, and therefore releases patches at best once every 3 months – and then only for flagship smartphones, forgetting about the existence of all the others in principle.
Despite the fact that I really want Huawei to learn to live in isolation and be able to create an alternative to Google Mobile Services, at the moment Google services are the fundamental mechanism that can ensure a stable and healthy operation of the operating system Android. Huawei, deprived of access to the services of the search giant, is not yet able to act alone so that users do not feel the negative consequences of the absence of GMS. Therefore, I myself will not buy a smartphone without Google services and I do not advise you to do this, so as not to suffer for your own money.