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Huawei Says It Has a Backup OS In Case It's Cut Off From Android (engadget.com)
Huawei has built its own operating system for phones, tablets and computers in case tensions between Huawei and the U.S. escalate even further than they already are. "The OS has been rumored for years, but Huawei confirmed its viability with the South China Morning Post, saying it could be used if the company were cut off from Android or Windows," reports Engadget. "It's seen as a last resort, but given the current discord between the U.S. and Huawei, it's not entirely surprising that the company has a plan B." From the report: Huawei began building the OS in 2012, after the U.S. banned Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE from using American products and services. This was reportedly seen as a way to prepare for "worst-case scenarios." Now, with Huawei suing the U.S. government and the U.S. saying it might punish Germany if the country works with Huawei on its 5G networks, those worst-case scenarios might not be too far-fetched. At the moment, this doesn't change much. Android and Windows are still the company's first-choice. "We fully support our partners' operating systems -- we love them and our customers love them," a company spokesperson told South China Morning Post. Still, given the state of the U.S.-Huawei relationship, this contingency plan could be significant.
This has been long done with in China, as google play services have been overwhelmingly blocked there on their Great Firewall. By far the most popular OS on Chinese phones is android. Without google play.
The train you're complaining about being on the station left the station many years ago. Chinese android variants have long done away with any google play dependencies, and their customers largely don't care about google play in any way, as Tencent et al have long developed alternatives for everything and more.
I'm wondering whether we will eventually get a trustworthy western corporation with their own version of Android that doesn't snoop so much. I have an old Android phone that my kid uses and that thing lasts almost a week on a single charge of the 1800 mAh battery. We opted not to sign in to a Google account when configuring the device and disabled mobile internet. I imagine you could probably have a phone that ran quite a bit longer if you were willing to put up with some minor inconveniences like only polling for new mail periodically.
I really don't need that much stuff from Google Play at this point and could probably go completely Google free by replacing most of what I do on my phone with open source alternatives. My needs are pretty basic, and could probably be filled by having a good browser like (Firefox perhaps) and simple email, messaging, and phone tools
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.