Huawei is testing a new search app similar to Google for its smartphone ecosystem in a bold new step to further challenge the US search giant on its home turf.
Why it matters: The Chinese telecom and smartphone giant has been working on replacing all Google apps and services for its in-house Huawei Mobile Service (HMS) framework on Android phones.
- The worldโs second-largest smartphone vendor is banned from using Google products on handsets which have launched after May because of a US trade blacklist.
- The Shenzhen-based company debuted in Europe last month a phone with HMS pre-installed. Instead of using Google Play, the buyers will have to use the company’s App Gallery to download apps.
Details: Huawei is recruiting users in the UAE to test its new Huawei Search app, according to a forum post published on Feb. 26 on the company’s website.
- โWe are excited to announce the upcoming launch of the Huawei Search app and invite our UAE users to participate in our user beta test,โ the company said in the post.
- The app allows users to search the internet for webpages, videos, news articles, and images, according to XDA Developers, which first reported the beta test.
- The search service is operated by Aspiegel Limited, a subsidiary based in Ireland, according to the app’s user agreement. Aspiegelโs website describes it as a mobile service provider for Huawei device users in Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- However, it is unclear whether the company developed the search engine from scratch or it used a third-party search service. According to the XDA story, the search app’s Privacy Statement says users have the โright to request delisting of a search result,โ which may imply that it is not a third-party search engine.
- Huawei declined to comment when contacted by TechNode on Tuesday.ย
Context: Citing security reasons, Google last month warned users against loading its apps through unofficial channels to new Huawei devices made available to the public after the trade blacklist.
- Last month, the company released a new version of HMS, adding capabilities such as Quick Response (QR) code extraction, near-field communication (NFC), and identity authentication.
- HMS provides mobile applications corresponding to Google offerings. They include Huawei App Gallery, a mobile wallet, a video-streaming platform, and a music app.
