Amid challenges brought about by the US ban on the purchase of American software and parts for its devices, the Chinese tech manufacturer Huawei has now also seen pushback from the biggest social network in the world.
Facebook has announced that none of its family of apps, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp would come pre-installed on new Huawei devices. The announcement comes after reports last month that the Google Android operating system would no longer be the default operating system on Huawei devices. Google’s announcement brought with it a slew of other similar announcements from American software and hardware companies.
Facebook’s decision to restrict the pre-installation of their apps on Huawei devices that have not yet left the factory (current owners of Huawei devices will still be able to access updates to said apps, and will not be affected) follows an announcement from Washington in May, which bans US companies from supplying technology to Huawei, and forms a part of a broader trade ban with China.
If you do buy a Huawei device in the next few weeks, you might still be able to download Facebook apps directly from the Google Play Store. However, this is just a temporary situation, which is set to change once access to the Google Play Store is restricted for new Huawei devices.
Huawei has said that it is developing its own ecosystem for use on Huawei devices, but the latest announcement is expected to hurt the Chinese company, which, despite being the third-biggest global mobile manufacturer, is experiencing significant strain after the US regulations came into effect.