Under new ownership, Honor got access to GMS (Google Mobile Services) on its devices. All the latest smartphones and tablets sold by the brand in global markets have it.

But it turns out the Chinese variant of the same devices still lacks support for it even after 2 years. This is finally about to change as the company has started a beta program for GMS in China.

Honor Magic 5 Ultimate
Honor Magic 5 Ultimate (Review)

For the unaware, Android smartphones and tablets sold in China don’t come pre-installed with Google Mobile Services like in other markets. Every OEM has its own alternative services and app stores.

However, almost all companies offer support for GMS, which needs to be installed separately from the app store itself. This move is beneficial for consumers traveling abroad and those who depend on Google apps and services for their work or personal use.

But for some reason, Honor does not offer official GMS support in the country (can be installed from external sources). The brand wants to change this as it has kickstarted a beta program.

Nonetheless, it is worth noting that the registration form lists only the following premium smartphones.

Anyways, there’s an ‘other’ category. So the official GMS support will likely arrive for all the phones and tablets released in the last two years in China.

The beta program kicked off on August 23 and will last until September 30. Therefore, the stable release may happen in October or later.

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(Via)