Google has an iron grip on Android

Google also has an iron grip on the definition of an Android device, including the open-source version of Android that Huawei will be using to compete. Most of the built-in alternatives to apps like search, Gmail, camera, calendar, Chrome, and even the keyboard are incredibly basic. Even a number of APIs like location, gaming, and in-app purchasing are proprietary, and third-party app developers use these in their apps. That makes it more difficult for developers to then have to support two different versions of their Android app, not knowing whether Amazon, Huawei, or anyone else has created replacements that are good enough.

Google has also helped stem the flow of fragmentation and open-source forks of Android outside of China in the past by bundling its own apps with access to the Play Store and requiring companies building phones or tablets that include the Play Store to only build phones and tablets that include the Play Store.

Huawei has leverage as the world’s second-largest phone maker to influence the future of Android, but Samsung had the same five years ago and was forced back into line. Google wasn’t impressed with Samsung’s Android software implementations back in 2014 and a series of meetings led to the two companies announcing a broad patent cross-licensing deal and an agreement on what the future of Android would look like.