Huawei is working on alternatives to Google Mobile Services. It already has its suite of apps called Huawei Mobile Services which includes AppGallery (its version of the Play Store), Huawei Video (its replacement for YouTube), Huawei Themes, Huawei Wallet, and Huawei Browser etc,. It also has Huawei Quick Apps which is its alternative to Google’s Instant Apps.
Huawei also included Location Kit and Map Kit in HMS Core (its collection of tools for app developers) to provide location and mapping services but there was no mapping data to use. A report by Reuters says the Chinese mobile giant has partnered with TomTom, the Dutch company known for its mapping services.
The info was revealed by Remco Meerstra, the spokesman for TomTom. Apparently, the deal was finalized a while ago but they decided to keep a tight lid on it until now. The deal will result in Huawei’s use of TomTom’s mapping services, traffic information, and navigation software in its apps, and thus serving as an alternative to Google Maps.
The upcoming Huawei P40 series should have the new mapping service pre-installed. Other models may get the feature via an update.
UP NEXT: Huawei launches HMS Core 4.0 globally with a slew of new services in tow
(Source)
