Some Huawei users in U.S. won’t be able to update their phones anymore
Huawei’s temporary license from the U.S. Department of Commerce just expired, making it harder for U.S. users to update some of the Chinese tech company’s phones.
In 2019, President Trump put Huawei and other Chinese companies on the “Entity List,” effectively banning those company from doing business with the U.S. (so for Huawei that was basically Google, whose Android operating system is used by most non-iPhone handsets). But the Department of Commerce has been giving temporary licensing exceptions since then to keep Huawei networks and user systems running smoothly.
Back in May, the U.S. department notified companies that the extension “provides an opportunity for users of Huawei devices and telecommunication providers—particularly those in rural U.S. communities—to continue to temporarily operate such devices and existing networks while hastening the transition to alternative suppliers.”
The time has come for that transition, or risk using phased-out phones and devices that Google’s Android operating system can’t update anymore. That means no more operating system updates (sorry, Android 11 hopefuls) and, perhaps more importantly, no more security updates.
