A month ago, Austrian Huawei manager Fred Wangfei said the company wouldn't return to Google's apps and services even if the US trade ban lifted. The Chinese conglomerate tried to backtrack on that statement, but it would still make sense for it to work on its independence in case it finds itself caught in the middle of another trade skirmish. For Google, this isn't the best situation as it could lose a lot of revenue if Huawei succeeds. That's why it has made a formal application to the US government seeking permission to trade with Huawei, as reported by the dpa via Heise.

The dpa says it has received this information from Google Manager Sameer Samat, who hasn't stated when we can expect the result of the application. If Google is granted the license, Huawei could start equipping its devices with a Google-fied version of Android again. While Microsoft has received a similar exemption that allows Huawei to continue using Windows, it's still open if the government will permit Google the same.

Huawei is currently forced to ship its Android devices without Google apps and services, so its latest phones, including the brand-new Mate Xs, are missing popular products like Gmail or Maps. The company also had to build a replacement for the Google Play Services which enable push notifications, location pings, and more essential API features. While none of this is an issue for the domestic Chinese market (where phones don't ship with Google software at all), customers in other regions are dearly missing Google apps and access to the Play Store on their phones.

Hopefully, Google is granted the exemption and can reach an agreement with Huawei to continue their cooperation, but time is running out.

Source: Heise