What should Italian users who own an Android smartphone expect? The blockade wanted by Trump could have repercussions, but not in the immediate
It didn't take US companies long to follow up on Donald Trump's executive order banning all Huawei and ZTE products (first of all to avoid "intrusions" in the development of 5G, but also to give a signal to the Chinese government as part of the ongoing trade war between the two global superpowers). The companies that have commercial and economic relationships with the two Chinese giants have moved accordingly, interrupting contracts and supplies.
The first to respond was Google, suspending Android licenses to the Chinese manufacturer. Then, in rapid sequence, Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Infineon have decided to suspend the agreements and interrupt their supplies to Huawei. The moves of the US companies, however, don't seem to be completely unexpected: some indiscretions claim that Huawei has been preparing for a long time for the commercial blockade, realizing its own mobile operating system and stocking up on products made in the US (in particular chips and lasers, indispensable to assemble smartphones).
What happens to Huawei after Trump's stop
According to several analysts, in the immediate future there wouldn't be big repercussions for Huawei and its users. The smartphones sold so far should continue to work without problems and, despite the suspension of licenses, users should continue to download apps and updates. The cards on the table change, however, for devices in the launch pipeline (such as the Mate 30 Pro, which as usual should arrive in late summer), which will no longer be able to use the version of Android mounted to date.
Similar discussion also on the components front. The four companies mentioned in the previous paragraph, in fact, are fundamental partners for Huawei. They are, in fact, the world's largest manufacturers of chips, processors, SoC, integrated communication systems (such as radio antennas, modems and other such components) and other components that we find inside our smartphones and smartwatches. Apparently, however, Huawei has accumulated useful stocks for the next three months, so it can continue to produce and, perhaps, hope for a "repentance" by the U.S. administration.
What does it change for Italian users?
The executive order of Trump, however, will also affect our lives and our buying habits in a decisive way. As specified also by Google, those who have a Huawei smartphone will not have to worry: they will be able to continue to access Google Play services (such as the Store to download apps and updates or Protect, the antivirus that scans apps before they are installed) and download security updates. The effects, however, could be felt in the medium term: if you plan to buy a Huawei device that will be launched in the next few weeks, you may have problems with apps from the Google ecosystem (Google Maps, Gmail, and Authenticator, just to name three), with access to the Play Store, and with downloading security updates. The ability to download OS updates, however, is precluded as of now. This means that the Huawei P30 Pro and all other devices from the Chinese manufacturer will not receive Android 10 Q, which was unveiled during Google I/O 2019 a few weeks ago.
Huawei's ban, however, could have an even bigger impact in the long run. The Chinese manufacturer, in fact, is among the main partners of Italian phone operators in the development of the 5G network. A ban in Europe or in Italy alone, then, would force the various TIM, Vodafone, Three, Iliad and Fastweb to revise their plans for the implementation of the new technology, causing delays in the adoption in our country and beyond.