Google has announced that it will be stopping its enforcement of a policy, which had mandated app developers to use its in house billing system in India. This means that developers no longer have to pay the 30 percent service fee to the company. Here’s all we know about this matter.

The Search Engine giant has said that it will no longer force app developers to use its proprietary billing system when they are selling digital products. This news arrives following a new ruling by the local government’s antitrust body. For those unaware, the brand had previously set an extended deadline of October 31 to allow developers in India to integrate apps with its Google Play billing system. This system would also charge a commission fee that ranged from 15 percent to 30 percent for each sale.

If this sounds familiar, Apple also employs a similar structure and also had a legal battle with Epic Games regarding this system. And similarly, even Apple started letting app developers skip their billing system to avoid the commission fee. For those unaware, the CCI (Competition Commission of India) ordered Google not to restrict app developers from using third party billing or payment processing services within India last week. Apart from this, the company was also hit with a sizeable 113 million US Dollar fine as well.

A couple of days ago, Google also stated that the requirement to use the billing system is still is still applicable for users outside of this country. Furthermore, it will also be looking into taking legal options in the region. Both Apple and Google have been facing criticism, with allegations of both firms holding a solid monopoly in the app market. Since then, both companies have lowered the service fee but maintain that a charge is set to ensure funds to a safe and secure mobile ecosystem.

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It’s been six months since Huawei was banned by the U.S. government from buying or selling components and services from U.S. companies. However, until now, the full force of the ban has not come into effect, all thanks to the delay of the ban’s enforcement. The second temporary extension, enforced in August, will end on Tuesday, November 19. Now, a report from Politico states that the U.S commerce department is expected to grant another 6-month extension to Huawei.

The extension should allow Huawei to continue to support its existing set of smartphones and devices that use U.S. components. So, existing Huawei devices could be safe for another six months, if this extension is permitted. However, the U.S. government is yet to officially announce anything in this regard and is likely to do it just before the current extension ends.

Even if Huawei gets a reprieve for another 6-months, that still doesn’t change the fact that none of its new devices can use Google Play services. The Mate 30 series will continue to struggle internationally without GAPPs support and we aren’t seeing any solution in this regard.

Despite US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stating that the U.S. government will start granting licenses to U.S companies to trade with Huawei a few weeks back, we are yet to hear about it. With the U.S. – China trade war still going on strong, it remains to be seen if Huawei will get any real reprieve anytime soon.

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(Source, Via)

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The freshly launched Huawei Mate 30 series is the first phone from the company to fall under the ban issued earlier this year by the U.S. Commerce Department prohibiting American companies from selling goods or services to Huawei. As a result, Google isn’t allowed to provide what is a core part of the Android experience: Google Play Services.

Google typically licenses the latest version of Android, currently Android 10, for phone manufacturers to use, but the Mate 30 Pro devices opt for AOSP, the open source version of Android 10. This is the reason why Huawei has no choice but to omit Google apps, as the open source version of Android is completely bloat free and features no Google integration.

Google’s Play Services is an essential part of any Android device and it’s how the majority of Android-powered handsets outside of China get access to apps. Play Services is more than just a way for Google to pre-install its own apps. It is the conduit for notifications, maps, and security that most third-party apps take for granted.

Now of course, there are methods to remedying this, the key one being sideloading apps. Anyone who has used a custom ROM in any capacity is probably well aware of sideloading and flashing Google apps, but the problem with this is that it’s dependent on the user. Most users simply aren’t going to have the know how to sideload Google apps, let alone flash them.

Instead, you’ll surf the web through the Huawei Browser and download apps through the Huawei AppGallery. The AppGallery has around 45,000 apps, according to Huawei, which is a respectable number all things considered. Unfortunately, when compared to the Google Play Store’s estimated 2.7 million apps, it’s a clear they aren’t on the same footing. Huawei’s app store doesn’t have nearly enough to compete.

So, how will Huawei improve their AppGallery exactly? According to Huawei CEO Richard Yu , the company will have an upcoming HMS Ecosystem Incentive Program, where it would invest $1 billion USD to encourage developers to build apps and get them marketed on Huawei phones outside China. It will even provide a greater revenue share to those developers — 85%, compared to the 70% that Google and Apple offer today.

During the briefing, Yu said, “We were forced to do this. We have a good relationship with Google, but the US government forced us to do this and we have no other option.” With the high prices of the Huawei Mate 30 devices, is it really fair to pay such an amount for devices that have been neutered? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments below.

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Google Play Services has sort of become the nervous system of the Google licensed Android OS. The app incorporates essential Android services like GPS and background services to ensure that your Android phone runs smoothly. However, an issue with the app could very well mean trouble for your Android system in general and that seems to be the case with the latest 18.3.82 version. Reports are coming in stating that the new version of Google Play Services is draining Android’s battery.

The issue with the new Google Play Services version was first reported by Android Police who noticed an increase in Android phone battery drain reports after the update. Since the issue is with the Google Play Services app, devices across multiple Android versions and vendors are affected. In order to check whether your phone’s battery is draining because of the new update, just head over to Settings and then Battery and click on Show full device usage. In some phones, the option will pop up only after you click the three dots on the top right corner.

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If Google Play Services come up in the top 3 apps sucking up your battery, you are likely a victim of this bug. Given that the app updates automatically for most users, you won’t even realize when your phone was updated to the new version.

There is no known fix to the problem but you can always revert back to the old Google Play Service version. Just keep an eye on the app as it will likely try to update itself to the new version. Given that this issue is popping up on multiple media websites, Google should already be working on a fix.

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(Source)

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Google Assistant launched as a Pixel exclusive last year. The only other way you could use it was via the Allo app if you did not want to go the hard way which involves rooting. Fast forward to present and Google Assistant as gone from being a Pixel exclusive to launching with a bunch of other devices and is now even rolling out to devices running Android Marshmallow and above.

The feature is coming as an OTA update to Google Play Services so it is not carrier or manufacturer dependent. But because of the high number of android devices, it might take a while to reach your device. However, if you own a OnePlus 3 the update should have hit your phone or may do so anytime.

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One OnePlus 3 owner has already received the update and has even provided screenshots. Google Assistant is like an updated version of Google Now but with added support for home control, shopping functions, and lots more.

(Source)

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