What? China’s Big Phone Brands Are Ditching Google?

Nick Papanikolopoulos

May 2, 2025

You probably remember the whole situation with Huawei a few years back, during Trump’s first term. It was quite something. American companies suddenly couldn’t work with them, and poof – no more official Android Play Store, no Google services. A huge blow. Well, with Trump back in the White House now and renewed talk of trade tensions with China, it seems those old anxieties regarding Android and Google, are bubbling up again. Whispers are going around – strong ones, apparently – that other major Chinese smartphone players are getting nervous. They’re supposedly looking for a Plan B, just in case they end up in the same boat as Huawei. We’re talking about the big names: Xiaomi, Oppo, vivo, even OnePlus.

Huawei Already Went Its Own Way, Remember?

It’s worth recalling what Huawei actually did. Faced with the ban, they didn’t just sit there. They rolled up their sleeves and built their own thing: HarmonyOS. And it wasn’t just a reskinned Android, not anymore. They went so far as to eventually strip out the compatibility with Android apps altogether in the newest versions, signalling a real break. A bold move, really. Makes you think.

Now, Talk of a Wider “Google-Free” Android?

This is where the current rumors get interesting. The word on the street is that Xiaomi, Oppo, vivo, and OnePlus from China, are thinking about creating their own version of Android without Google. One that doesn’t rely on Google’s ecosystem. Some chatter points to Xiaomi’s upcoming HyperOS 3 possibly laying the initial groundwork for this.

Honestly, though, it’s all a bit fuzzy right now. How much would these brands actually cooperate? Would it be a unified effort, or just shared components? And what role would Huawei, the company that’s already walked this path, play? Would they all adopt Huawei’s tech like the Ark Compiler or Petal Maps, or try something different? Lots of questions, not many solid answers yet. It just feels like something is brewing under the surface, perhaps.

Read Also: Xiaomi YU7 Series Gets a Long-Range Model

Why This Could Be a Big Deal (Spoiler: Market Share)

Let’s not forget how huge these companies are. If you look at the numbers – even based on stats from early this year, which might be slightly dated but show the trend – Xiaomi was leading the pack in China, with Huawei close behind, and Oppo and vivo right there too. Together, they accounted for something like two-thirds of all phones shipped in China back then. That’s massive.

And while Huawei’s global reach outside China isn’t what it used to be, companies like Xiaomi, vivo, and Oppo are consistently in the global Top 5 manufacturers. They sell millions upon millions of phones worldwide. So, imagine if they started pushing phones globally without Google’s apps and services pre-installed. That wouldn’t just be a small ripple; it would be a pretty significant shake-up for the entire mobile market, I think. It changes the choices we all have.

It’s definitely a situation worth keeping an eye on. Could we be heading towards a mobile world with more than just two dominant platforms? Maybe. Or perhaps it’s just contingency planning that won’t amount to much. Hard to say for sure.

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