Facebook suspends app pre-installs on Huawei phones as a consequence of the US ban on the Chinese tech giant
Facebook Inc. is no longer allowing pre-installation of its applications: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, on Huawei smartphones, the company declared last week. However, people who already own Huawei smartphones with these apps will not be affected by the suspension.
This comes as a consequence to the US ban on American parts and software, a new blow to the Chinese technical giant which is struggling to keep its business afloat. The move made by Facebook will most probably slow down future Huawei smartphone sales.
It is a popular practice of smartphone vendors to pre-install popular apps such as Facebook, Twitter, or Booking.com when entering into business deals. Twitter and Booking have not responded yet on the matter, while Google stated recently that it will no longer provide Android software for Huawei phones after the 90-day reprieve from the US government expires in August. Even though Google PlayStore and all Google apps will still be available for current models of Huawei phones, including those that have not yet been delivered or even built, unlike the Facebook ban, which applies to all Huawei phones that have not yet left the factory.
Huawei is the second biggest smartphone brand in the world, but the US export ban is already affecting the tech giant as some wireless carriers have already postponed the launch of some of the company’s latest devices.
The ban on the tech giant came last month after US authorities have warned that Huawei gear can be used for Chinese espionage – a claim that the company has vigorously denied, placing the Chinese company on an export blacklist thus preventing US firms from supplying Huawei without a license.
