Google recalls Huawei entry on Android Q Beta site
After banning U.S. exporters from supplying product to Huawei, the Department of Commerce has put a hold to that ban for 90 days. But in some cases, the damage done to that company's supply chain relationships remains — most of the chip and software vendors that pulled away have stayed away. That said, the Chinese tech manufacturer remains a partner with Google in delivering the Android Q Beta program to its constituent developers. While Google decided to pull acknowledgement of Huawei's participation on its webpage last week, it has since reversed that decision. Google scrubbed all mention of the Huawei brand and its devices on Android, Android Enterprise program, and Android Q Beta program webpages last Friday, May 24. We made checks just prior to press time on the first two websites and did not find those mentions restored. Huawei began recruiting participants to test the new software on their Mate 20 Pro phones earlier this month. It limited recruitment to Google Play app developers from central and eastern Europe who have at least one app on the store. Build updates are scheduled for every Tuesday and Thursday until June 30. We did not see any discussion about disruptions to the Beta due to the import ban so far, it has been in effect from May 15 to 21 — neither from the company's announcements nor comments from developers. That could mostly be because almost all, if not all of the recruitment took place before the Department of Commerce action and Huawei would be responsible for the week-to-week tweaks working from the single image that Google provided. In lieu of a resolution with the DoC, Huawei is preparing its own operating system for its devices that's set to debut as early as this fall. Meanwhile, the firm looks desperate to hold its remaining relationships with U.S. partners through the grace period — this would allow Huawei to maintain existing products as well as place and complete critical orders for key components — until it can transition away from them to alternate sources. Read the full article
