The majority of smartphones out there run on Google’s Android operating system. Even devices in China where Google’s services are almost non-existent are powered by the mobile operating system. We’re sure that many would much prefer using their own OS as it means more control over what it can do and what goes into it, but we imagine that it could be hard breaking Google’s grasp.
However it seems that Huawei is more than prepared. Speaking during an interview with German publication Welt, Huawei’s CEO Richard Yu revealed that the company has actually built and developed their own operating system should the day ever arise that Android is no longer available to them.
According to Yu (translated), “We have prepared our own operating system. Should it ever happen that we can no longer use these systems, we would be prepared. That’s our plan B. But of course we prefer to work with the ecosystems of Google and Microsoft.” Huawei would not be the first company to develop its own platform as an alternative to Android.
Samsung has in the past tried to use Tizen, although admittedly it never quite took off. As to why Huawei might be concerned about why Android may no longer be available to them: the company has been facing a bit of pushback from various governments around the world regarding their technology. They have also seen deals with carriers and retailers fall through.
There is also a concern that one day Google might decide that they’d rather keep Android for themselves instead of making it open source. Of course whether or not that day actually comes remains to be seen, but in the meantime Huawei seems to be prepared for it.