Huawei issues first statement after Android ban, confirms devices will still receive security updates

Damien Wilde | May 20 2019 - 3:10 am PT

The fallout from the US Huawei ban and subsequent removal of its Android license by Google is slowly starting to settle. Huawei has now released an official statement confirming that they will “continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products.”

Huawei has very quickly become a global force within the smartphone industry, growing at an almost exponential rate to become the world’s second-largest smartphone vendor. The statement acts as a bridge to the disgruntled fans around the planet who are no doubt wondering if their devices will be bricked without the ongoing support and access to important Google and Google Play Services.

Honor devices too will receive the promised support, as a subsidiary of Huawei. This statement might not provide all of the answers that consumers and fans alike are looking for, but it does give us an indication of just where Huawei is placing efforts at a troubling time.

A message to our UK fans regarding the announcement by Google. Further updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/Thxwm8BtNJ

— Huawei Mobile UK (@HuaweiMobileUK) May 20, 2019

“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.”

The global launch of the Honor 20 smartphone is set to for London tomorrow, and despite being a sub-division of Huawei, Honor does rely heavily on Huawei for the core EMUI software built upon Android. As it stands, this device will still be launched even despite this Android ban.

This response mirrors that of Google over the past 24 hours, stating that current owners of Huawei devices will not lose access to Google Play Services immediately. That said, future official OS updates from Google will not be forthcoming. We await the results of this ongoing US-China trade issue to see just what will happen with regard to Huawei’s future with Android.

In a previous Huawei statement, the company had confirmed that it was working on its own internal OS to combat a move such as this by the US, but it remains to be seen just if this will come to fruition.