Huawei says its homemade operating system could be ready to replace Android by early 2020
- Richard Yu, the head of Huawei's consumer division, told CNBC that the company's own operating system could be ready to replace Google and Microsoft operating systems by early 2020.
- Google cut off Huawei's access to its Android operating system after the US government blacklisted the company - although a 90-day license means Google has put that suspension on hold.
- Yu said that outside of China, the Huawei OS would be ready by Q1 or Q2 of next year.
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The head of Huawei's consumer division Richard Yu said that the company will be ready to begin rolling out its bespoke operating system as soon as autumn of this year.
Speaking to CNBC on Thursday, Yu said the OS for both smartphones and laptops would be ready by Q4 of this year to launch in China if the company were blocked off from using Google and Microsoft software.
Users outside of China will have to wait a little longer. Yu said the software would be ready by Q1 or Q2 of 2020. He added that Huawei's own app store (called the App Gallery) would be available on the new OS.
"Today, Huawei, we are still committed to Microsoft Windows and Google Android. But if we cannot use that, Huawei will prepare the plan B to use our own OS," said Yu.
He added that the company would rather not implement its own OS over Google or Microsoft's. "We don't want to do this but we will forced to do that because of the US government," said Yu.
Google announced it was cutting Huawei off from its Android operating system after the company was placed on an "entity list" by the US Department of Commerce - meaning US firms have to obtain government permission before doing business with the Chinese firm. The department then granted Huawei a 90-day license, allowing Google to put its Android suspension on hold.
Without Android, millions of Huawei customers could lose access to security updates and suffer other disruption.