Image credit — AI generated
Reports have surfaced suggesting that several prominent Chinese smartphone manufacturers, including Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus, are exploring the possibility of developing versions of the Android operating system that do not rely on Google Mobile Services (GMS). This speculative move is thought to be influenced by ongoing geopolitical trade tensions and concerns about potential future restrictions similar to those previously imposed on Huawei.The situation echoes the challenges faced by Huawei several years ago during the first Trump administration. U.S. trade restrictions prevented American companies, including Google, from supplying software and components to Huawei. This led to new Huawei devices losing access to the Google Play Store and core Google applications like Maps and Gmail, significantly impacting its international market presence and prompting the development of its own HarmonyOS platform.
Oppo and Vivo shops in a Chinese mall. | Image credit — tuchong.com
According to the rumors, these brands might collaborate on this initiative, potentially involving Huawei itself in some capacity. While the specifics of any collaboration remain unclear, Xiaomi’s upcoming HyperOS 3 is mentioned as possibly laying the groundwork for such a Google-independent system.
It is currently unknown whether these companies would aim for compatibility with existing Android apps or follow the path of Huawei’s latest HarmonyOS NEXT, which removes Android app support entirely. The potential adoption of Huawei tech such as the Ark Compiler or Petal Maps is also uncertain.
Global implications and challenges
The implications of such a shift would be substantial, given the market positions of the involved companies. Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo are consistently ranked among the top five smartphone vendors globally, and a move away from GMS on devices sold internationally would represent a significant disruption to the established Android ecosystem.
This couldn’t come at the worst time for Google with the company currently facing antitrust and monopolistic challenges with the DOJ, with a real possibility of having to break off part of its business. Things look to be heating up in the smartphone arena and, as usual, it is ultimately the consumers that stand to either lose or benefit.
