Just a few days ago, US President Donald Trump eased some restrictions that were put on Huawei. This decision was made after meeting with Chinese President Xi at the G20 Summit in Japan, and at least for now, Trump is now allowing partners with the US to sell products and work with Huawei.
This is a drastic reversal and comes as a big surprise to most, including congressional Republicans. Trump has frequently referred to Huawei as a massive security threat, so easing restrictions on them does come as a surprise.
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order, essentially banning Huawei from the US. The order he signed forced US partners not to do business with Huawei, which had huge ramifications. One of those ramifications was the fact that Huawei could no longer get easy access to new Android versions like it has had in the past.
After the news broke that Trump is easing the restrictions on Huawei, many assumed that Huawei will easily be able to get access to new Android versions and that all is well again, but recent news suggests otherwise.
Recent news broke yesterday at CNET, that the eased restrictions on Huawei only apply to “widely available products”. Now Huawei themselves admitted that they aren’t sure if they will be able to use new Android versions.
Bottom line: Things are very up in the air with Huawei. We aren’t fully sure what Trump’s new stance on Huawei means, and in some ways, it appears that the future of Huawei, at least in the US, may be dependant on how trade negotiations go between President Trump and Chinese President Xi.
If trade negotiations go well, Trump may concede even more, and who knows, he may allow Huawei to not only work with all US partners, but Huawei phones may also become regularly available for sale in the US again. If trade negotiations go south, however, Huawei may be further banned.
Stay tuned for further news, if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below!