Google Mobile Services Archives - Gizmochina

Guide to Install Google apps on Huawei Smartphones using GBox

Simranpal Singh — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 08:40:12 +0000

It’s been four years since the Trump administration placed Huawei on the US Entity list. It barred American companies from doing any business with Huawei, including Google. As a result, all the Google Services were no longer working for the Huawei smartphone across the globe. As an alternative, Huawei replaced GMS – Google Mobile Services with HMS – Huawei Mobile Services. However, users are still looking for alternatives to access Google Services on Huawei smartphones. The wait seems over as the Gbox is here with the ability to install Google apps on Huawei Smartphones without any further ado.

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How GBox Is Better than Other Apps?

Huawei introduced some apps to replace the default Google apps, but they never matched the quality of Google. To address the issue, several third-party users started developing apps or workarounds to enjoy Google services and offered apps like Gspace. However, there are some differences between Gspace and Gbox which became public in December 2022. The previous apps like Gspace were causing battery drain, and even carried ads. Unlike the competition, Gbox is officially available from the Huawei App gallery and doesn’t affect the battery life. It can work with other apps without causing any system applications to crash. GBox also provides access to other popular apps that are not available on the official Huawei AppGallery, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

It is a boon for Huawei users who want to expand their device’s capability.

Features of GBox

YouTube and Google Maps Works Flawlessly
Available from Huawei App Gallery
Open Natively on Huawei Smartphone
Minimal Impact on battery
Doesn’t affect other System Apps

Prerequisites

You should install GBox from Huawei App Store or sideload it after downloading APK from here.
Make sure you have a Google Account to enjoy GMS.

Steps to Install GBox on Huawei Smartphones

Below are some simple steps to enjoy Google Services on Huawei Smartphones using the GBox. Make sure to download the GBox from Huawei Gallery App or from the third-party website link.

Once Installed, Open GBox App on Huawei smartphone.
Now, Select the Google Play Store Icon, and Sign In or Sign Up using the respective links.
After successful sign-in, you will be able to install or download any app from the Play Store directly. The app will create a shortcut on your home screen from where you can access the apps without any issues.

Despite the challenges posed by the US Entity List, Huawei has continued to innovate and offer new products and services to its customers. Gbox is just one example of how third-party developers are stepping up to provide solutions to Huawei’s app store limitations, and it remains to be seen how the app ecosystem will continue to evolve in the coming years.

As per our testing, YouTube, Google Maps, and other such apps are working without any issues. Huawei device users would be delighted to enjoy Google Services.

The post Guide to Install Google apps on Huawei Smartphones using GBox appeared first on Gizmochina.

Honor to launch smartphones globally with support for Google Mobile Services (GMS)

Jeet — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 04:34:21 +0000

Honor has finally launched its first true premium high-end flagship smartphone lineup after splitting up from Huawei earlier this year. The Honor Magic3 series has been launched in the company’s home country China.

After the launch event, during an interview, Honor CEO George Zhao talked about the global launch of Honor smartphones. He said that the company will now focus on resuming business operations in over 50 countries around the world.

George Zhao (Zhao Ming), CEO of Honor

He added that the company is now preparing to launch the Honor 50 series smartphones globally in about 30 countries. For those who are unaware, the lineup was launched in China a couple of months back in June. The newly launched Honor Magic3 series will also be launched globally but there’s no timeline revealed by the Chinese company.

The Honor-branded smartphones launching globally will be equipped with Google Mobile Services (GMS). As per the recent report, Honor is currently undergoing Google’s Play Protect Security Review and Compatibility Testing to ensure that GMS applications can run on its smartphones.

Honor was forced to ditch GMS on its devices when the company was a sub-brand of Huawei given that the United States has imposed sanctions on the Chinese tech giant, barring it from using Google or any technology made by an American firm.

George Zhao has also acknowledged that the company’s market share in the overseas market has declined to almost zero. He adds that the brand’s focus is now on the recovery of its business in about 50 countries where it has established operations.

With the support of Google Mobile Services and the new promising devices launched in the market, Honor is hoping to make a V-shaped recovery, to become among the leading smartphone brands. It remains to be seen if the company can manage to achieve its goal.

It’s official: Honor phones will have Google Mobile Services

Habeeb Onawole — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 19:55:10 +0000

Rejoice Honor fans! It has been officially confirmed that Google Mobile Services will be included on Honor phones and tablets.

The info was revealed today by a Honor spokesperson according to GSMArena. The source added that Honor is currently undergoing Google’s Play Protect security review and compatibility testing.

The Honor 50 series which launched today in China will be the first set of Honor devices, following the company’s separation from Huawei, to ship with Google Mobile Services when they are eventually announced for the global market.

However, we don’t know if previously launched devices will get GMS support but we will advise our readers not get their hopes up.

Honor Germany confirms Honor 50 series will come with Google Mobile Services

Habeeb Onawole — Sun, 23 May 2021 18:58:18 +0000

The Honor 50 series is highly anticipated especially for international fans of the Honor brand. Last week, the manufacturer confirmed that the upcoming smartphone series will be powered by the newly announced Snapdragon 778G processor. Now, it has also confirmed that the phones will have Google Mobile Services.

The info was confirmed by the official Honor Germany Twitter account as a reply to a question asking if the Honor 50 series will have Google Mobile Services. This is definitely good news for Honor fans across the globe. Also, considering the original tweet was about the Honor 50 series, it is safe to say that the phones will be announced in Germany.

Ja, das können wir bestätigen. Aber pssst, soll noch eine Überraschung werden

— HonorDE (@HonorGermany) May 21, 2021

Last year, Huawei sold Honor to Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd, a consortium formed by agents and dealers of the Honor brand and Shenzhen Smart City Development Group Co. Ltd. Following the transfer of the brand to new owners, Honor has been in talks with American companies it was previously banned from conducting business with when it was still owned by Huawei. Some of those companies include Qualcomm and Google – the former for its chipset, and the latter for its mobile services for devices sold outside China.

With the recent announcements, we now know the talks went well and Honor can now do business with these companies and others that it was previously barred from by the U.S. government.

The Honor 50 series is yet to get a launch date but we are sure the launch will happen soon, rather than later.

Xiaomi blocks users from installing Google’s GMS on its smartphones in China

Jeet — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 08:04:16 +0000

Xiaomi has its own Android-based operating system named MIUI and the company has been regularly updating it. Recently, some users of MIUI started reporting that they weren’t able to install Google Mobile Services (GMS) on their smartphones.

The restrictions seem to have come after the rollout of MIUI 12.5. Now, the China-based smartphone maker has responded to those reports and said that the company no longer allows users to install or sideload GMS applications because of compliances.

The company confirmed that the devices that don’t come with the Google service framework won’t be able to install GMS applications. This isn’t surprising as most of the devices in China don’t have support for GMS as Google services are banned in the country.

While Xiaomi has not revealed the list of models affected by this policy change, some users have reported that Redmi K30 Ultra and Redmi 10X 5G are among those models that don’t support sideloading GMS apps.

It’s noteworthy that the restrictions apply to devices in the company’s home market, i.e. China, and users in other regions should be able to install Google Mobile Services as well as related applications on their Android smartphones.

Honor CEO confirms to be in talks with Google to get GMS support

Jeet — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 05:02:56 +0000

Huawei Technologies, the Chinese giant which was once the leading smartphone brand in the world (in Q2 2020), is now practically out of the smartphone business because of the trade restrictions imposed by the United States.

To ensure that its sub-brand Honor survives, the company sold it off to Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd. After its split, it retained almost all of its employees, which are over 8,000, including some of the company’s executives.

The company is now in talks with several companies to streamline its supply chain and production. Now, Honor CEO George Zhao Ming has confirmed that it is in talks with Google and will soon have Google Mobile Services (GMS) support for its devices.

Given that Honor is no longer a part of Huawei, the company will be able to get access to Google’s software and services. For those who are unaware, Huawei was banned from using Google’s services because of the sanctions imposed by the United and since Honor was a sub-brand of Huawei, it too wasn’t permitted to use Google‘s offerings.

Honor’s CEO has also reiterated what he said when the company was becoming independent — to become a leader in the market. Honor is looking to compete against its former parent company Huawei as well as Apple, as it is eying for the pole position in the Chinese smartphone market.

Apart from Google, the company is also in talks with other companies for the needed components, including Qualcomm for chipsets. It recently launched its own online storage named Honor Mall and is in the process of setting up several new offline stores.

Honor smartphones may soon get support for Google Mobile Services

Jeet — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 05:56:20 +0000

Honor, the newly independent company in China, is currently streamlining its business and forming new relationships with partners and suppliers. While it is making deals with component suppliers, the company is also working on getting the support of Google.

As per the latest report coming from Russia, Google Mobile Services (GMS) could soon make a comeback on Honor devices. This is primarily because the company is no longer a part of Huawei and thus, sanctions imposed by the United States on the Chinese giant no longer apply to Honor.

It further mentions that the return of Google services of Honor smartphones could happen around Spring. The company is already working on two new phone lineups that will have support for Google Mobile Services. This should bring back official Android support as well as a host of other Google applications.

With the introduction of Google services on Honor smartphones, new devices getting launched by the company will no longer have Huawei AppGallery pre-installed. However, the older devices will continue to have AppGallery.

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For those who are unaware, in May 2019, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning Huawei from dealing with American companies, cutting off access to Google’s services as well as many others. Since Honor was a sub-brand of Huawei, its devices were also not able to use GMS. To make sure that the brand survives, Huawei sold off Honor in November last year.

Apart from establishing relations with suppliers, the company is also working on establishing its presence in the market. The company has started its own online store named Honor Mall and is planning to launch several offline stores.

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Changes to expect from Honor as it forges a new path without Huawei

Habeeb Onawole — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 21:04:56 +0000

The sale of Honor to new owners is going to bring big changes to the brand’s business. Up until before the sale, Huawei and Honor have shared technologies just the way Xiaomi and Redmi does. Now that they have cut the ties between them, a necessary move to ensure the survival of Honor, there are expected changes to the way Honor’s business operates.

The joint statement announcing the sale says that Huawei will not own any share in the new company, and it has been reported that operations and after-sales services will not be impacted. However, Honor will have to make new changes to show that it is no longer a Huawei-owned business.

We know these changes will come as Honor released a statement assuring users that it will continue to provide security updates and after-sales service for its existing products. These products are those that it launched during its existence as a Huawei-owned company, some of which launched with Huawei Mobile Services. Below are some of the changes we expect to see:

A return to Google Mobile Services

Huawei phones released in the past year have launched with Huawei Mobile Services. While Huawei’s answer to Google Mobile Services (GMS) is gaining new features rapidly, lots of folks are not keen to pick up a phone that doesn’t have support for Google services right out of the box.

Now that Honor is now an independent company not related to Huawei, we expect new Honor-branded phones made for the international market will come with GMS.

A redesigned Magic UI or a New UX Skin entirely

Honor phones come with an Android skin called Magic UI. Now in its fourth iteration, Magic UI is closely related to Huawei’s own EMUI but with a few additions. If Honor intends to continue with the Magic UI skin, its next version will have to be very different from EMUI and not just a rebadge. We speculate that Honor may eventually ditch Magic UI and launch a new skin entirely just as Vivo did recently by dropping Funtouch OS and announcing OriginOS.

Snapdragon-powered Honor Phones

It has been a while since we saw a Honor smartphone powered by a Snapdragon processor. The ones that come to mind are the Honor 8C which has a Snapdragon 632 processor and the Honor 8X Max which is powered by the Snapdragon 660. Both phones were launched in 2018.

Most Honor phones released since 2019 have come with Huawei’s Kirin processors, and this year, we have seen Honor also launch phones with MediaTek 5G processors.

Now that it is no longer a Huawei-owned company, it should have access to Qualcomm processors and not limited to 4G chipsets like its former owner. This means we should see Honor phones powered by new Snapdragon 4G and 5G processors such as the Snapdragon 720G and the Snapdragon 765G.

We expect this to be good news for markets where Honor has continued to release phones with the already old Kirin 710 processor.

Conclusion

These are the changes we expect to see in the near future from Honor. However, these changes may take a while to arrive and not be immediate. Nevertheless, we look forward to seeing what the future holds for Honor as it forges a new path.

The post Changes to expect from Honor as it forges a new path without Huawei appeared first on Gizmochina.

MIUI 9.5 Bug Disables Alarm Clock Notifications, Temporary Fix Is To Uninstall Google Mobile Services

Habeeb Onawole — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 18:05:21 +0000

Xiaomi has begun rolling out MIUI 9.5, the latest version of its custom android ROM to eligible devices. Some of the phones that have gotten it include the Mi MIX 2 and the Mi 6. Reports say the update includes serious bugs, with the temporary solution being a disabling Google Mobile Services.

The update to MIUI 9.5 caused a power drain and wasn’t showing notifications for alarms and WeChat messages. MIUI engineers said a temporary fix is to disable Google Framework and Google Mobile Services. If you own the Chinese variant of the affected devices, a complete removal of Google Framework and GMS apps such as Gmail, Google Search, and Play Store is required.

Xiaomi says error logs uploaded on the official forum showed that Google Mobile Services was frequently sending an unusually high number of notifications which caused the power drain and also affected other apps (WeChat, alarm).

Xiaomi says it has already reached out to Google so that they can provide a fix as quickly as possible.

(Source)

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GMS Express is a Google, MediaTek Collaborative Effort for Providing Pre-Certified Android Builds to OEMs

Anvinraj Valiyathara — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 05:12:16 +0000

Manufacturing an Android device like a smartphone or a tablet and selling it is not an easy process. The Android OS is installed after building the device. Also, in order to ship the device with Google’s apps, it has to undergo compatibility certification tests by Google which can take around 3 months to complete. Google has collaborated with MediaTek to launch a new initiative called Google’s Mobile Services (GMS) Express in order to reduce the certification process time to 4 weeks from the usual duration of up to 3 months.

Android operating system is an open source product that allow developers to customize it to support different hardware configurations. However, this can make the Android OS differently on different devices. Hence, Google has laid down specific prerequisites to ensure that basic APIs and device functionality is consistent on different devices running on Android.

Google has a way of enforcing its requirements. It does it by providing its own apps which includes Google Play Store, Gmail, YouTube and so on. This way the search engine giant ensures that Android OEMs adhere to their rules.

If an Android build running on a device is unable to pass the certification process set by Google, such a device will not be able to run the various apps made available by Google. For major companies like Samsung, the certification process may not be a huge barrier in releasing their phones. However, as stated above, the entire process of certification can take up to 3 months for startup firms to release their devices into the market.

The GMS Express program will certainly help in reducing the time required for certification. In collaboration with MediaTek, Google will provide already tested, certified and fully complaint versions of Android builds to Android OEM. Devices running on such builds will have to undergo the last certification step as the code will is likely to get modified for including new features. However, it will allow Android OEMs to release their devices to the market quickly.

It will also benefit the end-user as they will be receiving a pre-tested and secure edition of Android. Since GMS is unavailable on Android devices in China, the new program is targeted towards device markers both inside and outside of China that are manufacturing devices for international markets like Europe and North America.

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