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Huawei and Google - Your questions answered

Please note that the following FAQ’s are for newer Huawei devices that have been launched since March 2020.  There are exceptions however, which we will update to the FAQ when they become available. At present, there are 2 devices launched since March 2020: the P30 Lite New Edition and P smart2020, that will still have GMS installed and will continue to receive normal updates.

Also, please be aware that the Three App will work only if you choose to use the Phone Clone App (more details of which are below) from your previous device into your new device. If you choose to download from AppGallery (by searching Three), you will find a “quick app” available which will direct you to log in to your Three account.

The new Huawei P40 Pro / Huawei Mate Xs / Huawei P40 Lite 5G runs on Android 10 with EMUI 10, but doesn’t support Google apps and services, including Google Play Store.

Lots of Apps are available from the Huawei AppGallery, and can also often be transferred from your own phone using the Huawei Phone Clone app.

You can also download ‘Petal Search  - Find Apps’, which is a new search tool that allows Huawei smartphone owners to search and find everything they need - including apps, news, images and more. Find out more here: https://consumer.huawei.com/uk/campaign/favourite-apps/

New Huawei devices come with their own apps platform called Huawei AppGallery, which is similar to Google Play. It has over 50,000 apps available to download and use.

There are multiple ways to get apps you want. You can try Phone Clone in the first instance, or you can search for the app you need via the AppGallery. Alternatively, you can use Petal Search - this can be downloaded from the AppGallery. If none of these methods work, we would suggest that you use web version of the app. You can put the app in the AppGallery wishlist to request this app to be available in the future, and you can also visit Huawei community for more information.

Utilising the recommended Huawei Phone Clone, Huawei AppGallery, Petal Search – Find Apps as well as the App Developers Official Websites, we've summarised ways in which you can get most of your favourite apps onto your new Huawei Device. It's also recommended that you use the Official Huawei Community https://consumer.huawei.com/uk/community/ and the Huawei Online Support Team https://consumer.huawei.com/uk/support/ to maximise your experience.

Huawei Petal Search – Find Apps: https://s.cloud.huawei.com/app/home

You'll be asked to log in during set up of the device. You don't need an existing Huawei ID to do this, you can create one if required and the app accepts 3rd party email address/password combinations.

Some apps will be available for download but might not fully work on the device because of embedded technologies which require services from Google, such as their maps or payment platforms. However, Huawei will offer alternative apps that should give you a similar experience. The Three app is still in development and testing for the AppGallery. For now, our services would need to be accessed via the website.

More information on this is available on the Huawei VIP support page. You can access it here.

No. You can create an account with an email address and password. Similar to Google Play, where you do not need a Gmail account. However, it’s recommended that a customer uses a Huawei ID to experience the best out of their new Huawei device. Customers who create or enter a valid Huawei ID when they switch on their new device will automatically gain access to 5GB lifetime cloud storage. Mate Xs 5G customers will receive a complimentary upgrade to a 50GB storage plan for the first year.

Most applications will transfer successfully and have the same experience as you currently have on your old device. If there’s a mandatory app update required whilst using the HMS device you may be able to update this through AppGallery or the Petal Search - Find Apps tool. Make sure you’re using the latest version of Petal Search when doing so.

These devices will not have GMS pre-installed. Users will have access to the apps in the Huawei AppGallery or Petal Search- Find Apps widget which is pre-installed on Huawei smartphones.

Individual app experiences may vary depending on how much each app requires use of GMS. There are many apps available in the AppGallery that will not be impacted at all. You can also find other useful apps via Petal Search.

In the first instance you can use the Huawei Phone Clone app to transfer most of your existing apps on your current handset.

You’ll also have access to the apps in the Huawei AppGallery which is pre-installed on Huawei smartphones or from the Petal Search – Find Apps widget which can be used to search for apps that you’re looking for.

Petal Search – Find Apps Widget is a search that allows Huawei smartphone owners to search for and find the things they need including apps, news, images and more directly from their home screen. Huawei AppGallery is completely integrated to Petal Search – Find Apps Widget and apps already in the Huawei AppGallery appear at the top of any search.

Petal Search – Find Apps will come pre-installed on devices in the near future. Existing owners can find the tool in Huawei’s AppGallery.

By crawling and navigating the World Wide Web using crawling technology. Petal Search – Find Apps also leverages customised information to provide diverse and up to the date information aggregating apps, news, movies, music images and more, to provide a diverse mobile search experience for users.

Huawei doesn’t have any control over the apps downloaded from a third party source nor any liability for information published on third-party websites or the third-party apps that are simply listed in search results.

Huawei complies with laws and regulations in different territories as well as best practice principles in the industry. Huawei aspires to provide users with the best search experiences, but will never compromise commitment to protecting copyright and IPR, as well as the rights of Huawei users, or it’s principle of being fair and just.

You can use HUAWEI Browser to open the home page of Google Search for searching.

Phone Clone can be used to migrate most of the data, such as your contacts, photos, and calendar.

Your device supports In-App Purchases (IAP), such as payment by bank card and mobile phone billing. (Google Pay is not supported).

Please be assured that Phone Clone will only transfer apps from the existing device to a new one. Your ID and password will not be copied.

Huawei phones are not pre-installed with GMS/Google apps and it’s your choice to download/install GMS. However, we strongly recommend that you use HUAWEI AppGallery to download apps.

Huawei AppGallery launched in April 2018 globally, and is preloaded on every Huawei device. There are many choices for consumers when it comes to the apps they use on a daily basis, including a variety of services for maps including TomTom, email and video content. Customers are free to download any other apps they wish to online.

In April 2018, the Huawei AppGallery was released globally and Huawei is continuing to develop its own ecosystem – Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) which has always welcomed global developers so together we can create a better experience for global consumers.

Huawei Mobile Services is a collection of apps and services Huawei provides on all new Huawei HMS / AppGallery handsets (including Huawei AppGallery, Browser, ID, Cloud, Music, Video, etc). It’s similar to both the Google and Apple services that you may already be familiar with. HMS has the Huawei AppGallery which performs the same role as Google Play or Apple’s App Store. However, it doesn’t have the same app inventory and it’s recommended that you check what apps you can access via Petal Search first. In addition, it has its own integrated web browser and other software that you’ll commonly find on most smartphones.

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