After Android, will WhatsApp also be blocked and banned by Huawei smartphones? Let’s be clear and try to understand why the messaging app may not work anymore.
The anti-Huawei decree granted by the Trump administration has created a real earthquake for the mobile world. Users with Huawei smartphones may soon have to deal not only with the abandonment of the Android license, but also with WhatsApp blocked.
The news is the result of the first analysis regarding the possible effects of the so-called Huawei Ban, the consequences of which are still to be evaluated: WhatsApp could really be banned by Huawei smartphones thus putting the Chinese giant in crisis and, consequently, its users even more in crisis? Let’s make things clear, trying to understand what could change for the Chinese giant’s devices.
Will WhatsApp really be stuck on Android smartphones?
The problem was brought to light by the German news website derwesten.de, which wondered about the possible effects of the Huawei Ban not only on the Android license, but also on the apps present in the Google Play Store, coming to the most popular and used by users like WhatsApp.
First of all, no scaremongering: for the moment there is no definite information about the abandonment of WhatsApp with regard to Huawei smartphones. On a purely hypothetical level, however, this is a possibility not entirely excluded, considering WhatsApp as an app of American origin (owned by Mark Zuckerberg, as well as Facebook and Instagram).
In addition to this, the withdrawal of the Android license and future updates for the Google apps could lead to a non-functioning Google Play Store: as a result it may become impossible to download WhatsApp or receive updates regarding new versions. While the position of Microsoft and Windows 10 for Huawei PCs is still awaited, the Chinese giant could update the decree proposed by Donald Trump through the creation of its own native operating system.
Zuckerberg’s position should not be hostile to Huawei, unless sudden changes in direction. For the moment the situation is still evolving, even after the 90-day truce between the USA and Huawei, and the hypotheses are wasted. We are pretty sure that WhatsApp will not be blocked on the smartphones of the Chinese giant: Huawei devices are among the best-selling smartphones ever, holding an important slice of mobile users. Eliminating the possibility of downloading and using WhatsApp on Huawei would potentially halve the number of subscribers to the platform, a consequence far too impactful for the application.
The Huawei Ban issue is still evolving: in the coming months the general picture of relations between the east and the west mobile will be clearer. We will keep you posted.