On the 7th of June, Facebook gave a new blow to Huawei and stopped letting its apps come preinstalled on the devices manufactured by the Chinese smartphone company. The social media giant said it suspended the provision of software to Huawei which allows the smartphone makers to install its apps before the phone is sold to customers.
Facebook’s decision to stop apps from being installed on Huawei phones comes shortly the U.S. Government blacklisted Huawei, banning U.S. companies from selling their products to the Chinese company. “We are reviewing the Commerce Department’s final rule and the more recently issued temporary general license and taking steps to ensure compliance,” a Facebook spokesperson said.
The move by Facebook is only applicable to new phones being sold by Huawei. People who already own these smartphones will still be able to access the preinstalled apps. However, if Google restricts Huawei from downloading these apps on the Play Store, then the existing owners will not be able to use them either.
Facebook is not the only company which is waging a war against the Chinese smartphone company. Earlier this week, Google also issued a ban against the Company by saying it will no longer let Huawei use its core Android software after mid August.
This ban by Facebook is just another pile on for Huawei, with Google already imposing multiple bans on the Chinese smartphone company. With the lack of availability of apps like WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, this ban now reduces revenue for the Chinese smartphone company as Huawei will no longer be able to sell its customers apps from third parties.
With so many bottlenecks, it looks like the only option left for Huawei now is to develop its own operating software.
Stay tuned for further updates.
