The U.S. sanctions against Huawei have become one of the most high-profile developments in the technology world in recent years, with users often wondering why Xiaomi, Vivo or OnePlus flagships work with a full set of Google apps, and Huawei devices are stripped of Play Market, YouTube and Gmail out of the box.
The answer lies not in technical restrictions, but in geopolitics and trade restrictions lists imposed by the US Department of Commerce. Xiaomi, despite its popularity and Chinese origins, has remained aloof from these restrictions, allowing the company to freely use Android and GMS (Google Mobile Services).
In this article, we will take a closer look at the timeline of events, explain the difference between Android open source and Google’s proprietary services, and assess how the lack of a license has affected the Huawei ecosystem.
Chronology of events: May 2019
That all changed on May 15, 2019, when US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning American companies from doing business with Huawei without special permission, a decision based on national security concerns, although no concrete evidence of espionage was provided.
Google was forced to suspend the collaboration, which meant that Huawei’s new smartphones could no longer obtain a license to use Google Play Services, Gmail, YouTube, Maps and other applications that are part of the GMS package.
It is important to understand that the ban only affected new models released after this date: Older devices such as the Huawei P30 Pro or Mate 20 Pro have retained support for the services and continue to receive security updates, since they were certified before the imposition of sanctions.
Why didn't the old models get affected?
For Huawei, this was a huge blow, as outside of China, most users are accustomed to the Google ecosystem, and the lack of familiar applications has made selling flagships in the Western market extremely difficult.
Why Xiaomi and other brands were not affected
Unlike Huawei, Xiaomi is not subject to strict trade restrictions that prohibit the use of American technology. Although Xiaomi is also a Chinese company and is on the US Department of Defense’s investment restrictions list, this does not affect the ability to use Google’s software.
Google Mobile Services is a commercial product, and as long as the company is not explicitly banned from using U.S. software, it can enter into a licensing agreement with Google, with Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Realme actively exercising this right.
In addition, these brands demonstrate a high degree of transparency in data processing and do not raise the same concerns of US regulators as Huawei, which is a leader in 5G telecommunications equipment.
- 📱 Xiaomi is free to use Android and GMS global markets.
- 🌏 Honor (formerly a sub-brand of Huawei) after the sale of an independent company also restored access to Google services.
- 🚫 ZTE He also faced restrictions, but was able to negotiate with the United States and return to the market with a full range of services.
The key difference, therefore, lies in the legal status of the company in the eyes of the US government, not in the technical specifications of the devices or their origin as such.
Difference Between AOSP and GMS: What is the Confusion?
Many users confuse the Android operating system and Google services.In fact, Android consists of two main parts: an open AOSP platform and a closed GMS suite.
AOSP (Android Open Source Project) is the underlying open source operating system.The Apache 2.0 license allows any manufacturer, including Huawei, to freely use, modify and distribute this system without Google's permission.
GMS (Google Mobile Services is a proprietary suite of apps and background services that includes Play Store, Google Drive, Gmail and Google Mobile Services. API for maps_push_ This part of the application requires a license that Huawei cannot obtain at this time.
| Component | License. | Available by Huawei | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| AOSP | Open (Apache 2.0) | ✅ Yes. | System core, interface |
| GMS | Closed (Proprietary) | ❌ No. | Play Market, YouTube, Maps |
| HMS | Huawei's proprietary | ✅ Yes (mys) | AppGallery, Huawei Cloud |
That’s why Huawei can make Android-based smartphones (via EMUI or HarmonyOS), but can’t pre-install Google apps.
Huawei's response: HarmonyOS and AppGallery
Once isolated, Huawei has been forced to accelerate the development of its own alternatives, with HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) and AppGallery being the foundation of a new ecosystem.
The company has invested billions of dollars in its own operating system, HarmonyOS. Originally marketed as an Internet of Things OS, in China it has completely replaced Android on smartphones, providing deep integration of all the devices of the brand.
💡
Use the Gbox or Gspace app from AppGallery if you need Google services on Huawei, which creates a virtual environment to run the GMS.
Huawei is actively developing AppGallery globally, attracting developers and offering its own counterparts to popular services, but the lack of native support for Google accounts remains a barrier for many users in Europe and Asia.
⚠️ Note: Installing Google services through unofficial instructions (Gbox, Gspace, MicroG) may reduce the autonomy of the device and does not guarantee the stable operation of banking applications or Android Auto.
Despite the challenges, Huawei continues to produce powerful flagships, betting on camera quality, charging speed and the smart home ecosystem to compensate for the lack of familiar software.
How the absence of GMS affects the user
For the average user, losing Google services means not just missing a Play Market icon, but a cascade of restrictions that affect everyday smartphone use.
First, many apps depend on Google Play Services for push notifications, geolocation, and authorization, without which messengers may not send messages in the background, and maps may not build routes.
Second, banking apps and games often use Google SafetyNet to check the security of the environment, and on Huawei-certified devices, new versions of banking software may simply not install or operate with restrictions.
- 📉 Notifications: may come with a delay or not at all without a special setting.
- 🏦 Banks: Some apps require "crutches" to run on uncertified devices.
- 🎮 Games: Game progress saved in Google Play Games may not be available.
☑️ Checking before buying Huawei
However, for users who are actively using Huawei’s ecosystem (laptops, tablets, watches), these limitations are less noticeable due to the deep integration of the company’s own services.
Prospects and current state of the market
For now, the situation remains stable, with Huawei continuing to develop its independent platform while Xiaomi and other rivals are strengthening their foothold with Android.
HarmonyOS Next, the new version of the operating system, completely abandons the Android code, making it impossible to launch APK-This is the final break from the past and the transition to a fully independent ecosystem, which is unique in the history of the mobile industry, when a major player creates a third platform from scratch.
For consumers, this means a real choice: either stay in Google’s ecosystem or switch to an alternative that offers a different approach to device privacy and integration.
⚠️ Warning: When buying a used Huawei smartphone, be sure to check the model.Devices released before May 2019 have official Google support, unlike new ones.
The market shows that Google’s absence is no longer fatal for sales in China, but in Western markets, the brand is still struggling to regain trust and familiar levels of comfort for users.