Huawei announces £20 million fund to expand its own app store to get around the US Google ban

Can Huawei persuade developers to makes apps for its own app store? It certainly hopes so 
Huawei's UK MD of consumer business, Anson Zhang, launched its new vision for the Huawei App Gallery in London
Huawei
Amelia Heathman16 January 2020

Chinese tech giant Huawei has announced its new plans for its own app store to get around the US trade ban which prevents it from using Google’s Android software.

The company has announced a £20 million investment plan to encourage UK and Irish developers to create apps for the Huawei App Gallery, along with the chance to win £20,000 for any app uploaded to the app store by the end of January.

It’s crucial for Huawei to win fans over to its own app store as a way to retain users and continue to grow. Last May, the US government banned the Chinese company from working with US companies over fears of spying, which meant Huawei could no longer use Google’s Android software for its new phone releases, including the Mate 30 range and the upcoming P40 range.

Huawei plans to make its app store the third-largest mobile ecosystem around the world and it probably doesn’t have far to go thanks to the fact the Huawei App Gallery is installed on 600 million mobile active users in more than 170 countries, with four million in the UK alone. This is because every current Huawei phone includes the Google Play Store and the Huawei App Gallery.

The problem is getting developers to make apps for a new ecosystem – at the moment developers favour the Google app story because every app or game that is developed for Google is accessible to every Android phone owner around the world (2.5 billion at the last count).

At the company’s first Huawei developer conference in UK and Ireland, the company announced it was launching 24 Mobile Services Core Kits which will provide businesses and developers with assistance when creating apps for the Huawei App Gallery. The kits include a map and location kit, so Huawei doesn’t have to rely on Google Maps; an analytics kit to understand user behaviour; and an in-app purchases kit so developers can monetise their apps.

If it's privacy Huawei users are concerned about when it comes to a new app store, the company has created an open Advertising ID solution which means it will work with partners to build an open ecosystem, whilst also respecting user privacy and protecting personal data.

The new Huawei Mate 30 Pro isn't on sale in Europe because of the lack of Google apps
CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images

It may sound ambitious for the company to take on the dominance of Google and Apple when it comes to apps but at least it’s coming from a strong position already. Counterpoint research last November still has Huawei as the second biggest phone seller after Samsung – even after all the US trade problems.

The question is, will it be able to hold on to this position when it isn’t selling its newer phones in the UK and Europe. Last year, sources told the Dutch website LetsGoDigital that Huawei realised launching a high-end phone without Google apps is “practically useless” due to the familiarity users have with the Android software – if it can persuade developers to make apps for its own version that will go some way to bringing Huawei phones back to this side of the world.

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