A top Android phone without Google apps? Huawei’s new Mate 30 Pro is going solo due to the US Huawei Google ban. But with these Huawei Google apps workarounds, you can still get Google apps on the new Huawei Mate 30 Pro.
Huawei makes great mobile phones, but one of the primary features that Western customers now recognize as a key part of owning an Android phone will not be present in the highly-anticipated Huawei Mate 30 Pro. Due to the ongoing ‘trade war’ between Donald Trump and China, the world’s second-largest smartphone producer was placed on the Entity List. This means that US-based companies — even Google — are not allowed to trade with Huawei.
The Chinese giant had many companies in its supply chain based in the US, including chipmakers and software companies, and as “nobody in the executive branch knows what [Trump] wants,” it has left many businesses on either side of the Pacific either in limbo or without a major partner. For mobile phone customers, however, the most notable absence in the Huawei Mate 30 Pro will be Google. The US-based tech giant has become synonymous with Android phones via the plethora of Google apps that come with the devices and are free to download.
Now, prospective buyers across the West are worried that an all-but fundamental element of owning an Android phone will not be present. But luckily, there are ways around the Trump-enforced embargo.
Huawei announces they won’t use Google Android apps
Huawei Mate 30 Pro review video: hands-on impressions
Despite the ban, Huawei, naturally, worked on finding ways to enable them to host Google apps and services on their upcoming model. The Chinese company has its eyes on the Western market, so losing Google would seemingly be a huge hit.
Huawei CEO of consumer products, Richard Yu, has confirmed that the Mate 30 Pro has been forced to drop the Google Mobile Services license. Without the Google Mobile Services core, they will turn to the Huawei Mobiles Services core as their preinstalled software.
Huawei Mobile Services and its version of the Play Store, the Huawei AppGallery, already brings in 180 billion downloads per year across its 45,000 integrated apps. And the company is still investing $1 billion to develop, grow, and market its own mobile services. Huawei’s upcoming devices will still run a version of Android. And given their investment and previews, the Mate 30 Pro will make for a great phone. It’s just if the Western market is prepared to buy such a strong bit of tech when it doesn’t come with the comforts of preinstalled Google apps.
The list of Google apps for Android is huge, but the most notable apps which will not be on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro are:
- Google Chrome
- Blogger
- Gmail
- Google+
- Google Assistant
- Google Calendar
- Google Docs
- Google Earth
- Google Fit
- Google Maps
- Google Business
- Google Pay
- Google Photos
- Google Play Store
- Google Search
- Google Sheets
- Google Street View
- Google Translate
- Gmail Inbox
- Snapseed
- YouTube
Google apps workarounds for Huawei users
Google Play sees the largest number of app downloads of all leading app stores, accounting for just over half of the total of all major app stores. People are accustomed to getting new phones, having all of the Google apps available — particularly the Play Store — and then browsing to see what apps they can install. However, Huawei and their fans aren’t resting on their laurels, and are finding many different ways to access the locked content.
Generally speaking, people tend to forget that many apps – with the exception of most game apps – have a website equivalent. Apps are created and released onto the Play Store for the sake of convenience. People prefer having their options to be just one tap away as opposed to needing to go into an internet browser and typing out a web address. So, the first place that many people will look is their trust web browser app. While it won’t be Google Chrome, it’s still easy to browse the internet with the likes of Firefox, Opera, or DuckDuckGo.
Due to the mobile phone becoming most peoples’ go-to device for searching the internet for news, services, and shopping, the vast majority of major brands have created a mobile-compatible website that has the same functionality as their app and website counterparts. Some Google Android apps, such as Google Maps, can be accessed via mobile web browsers while other online entertainment vendors, such as 888casino, offer a mobile app and mobile browser play.
As mentioned, apps are often just the convenient option that websites release to add to accessibility and appeal. Moreover, you don’t even need to enter a URL every time you want to gain access to certain mobile websites, as you can use the ‘add to home screen’ to add the quick-tap icon.
There’s also a highly-publicized workaround for the Huawei Google ban that’s being picked up by tech news outlets. The workaround has been shown installing Google Play on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, thus restoring recognized functionality of an Android device.
However, it has been reported by outlet Forbes that to perform these Google apps workarounds, you’ll need a Chinese app from LzPlay.net. Beware that this app has pretty opaque origins, is followed in China, and gives permissions for the app to gain access to your phone’s core systems.
Google apps workarounds: How to get Google apps on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro.
You may just need to adjust your habits a bit
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is an incredible bit of kit that many people will want in their pockets. But to get Google apps on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, you’ll need to slightly adjust your phone habits.
We’ve already seen that one of the best ways to get access to some familiar apps will be to find them via your phone’s web browser and add them to your home screen. And, Huawei’s AppGallery is at hand to offer an ever-expanding library of tens of thousands of apps. But you may need to prepare to use other alternate apps as well.
While the Google apps that come with Android phones are often very good, there are often some better apps out there. For a Gmail alternative for example, you may enjoy Microsoft Outlook, which is very popular. And if a browser-based driving app isn’t for you, the Waze app is hailed as one of the best navigation apps available right now, and boasts over 50 million users.
If you’re a mobile gaming fan, you might share a big concern about the US Huawei ban. So far it’s unclear if all of the major game developers will make their titles available to Huawei. But luckily, the Uptodown App Store allows people to get apps directly to their phone via an APK download.
Given all of these things: the quality of other Google alternative apps, Huawei’s investment in a recognizable and reliable user experience, and easy access to most of your favorite web services via mobile browsers, then you might decide that you can have your Huawei cake, with a sweet side of Huawei Google apps workarounds.
Because to get the quality of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, not having Google Android apps preinstalled is a fairly small price to pay.
