Author Topic: New Huawei Surprise As Users Can Now Install Google With Just One Click:  (Read 208 times)

Offline javajolt

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So, here we go again. Just ahead of the (now online) launch of Huawei’s next flagship, the P40, all attention turns to the impact the loss of Google will have on its sales and the workarounds available to solve the problem. Huawei hasn't given up hope of restoring Google to its new devices, and Google certainly wants the same, but until there’s a change in Trump’s blacklist, this is the path Huawei is on.

We’ve been here before, of course. Last September, just ahead of the Mate 30 launch, there was lots of talk about workarounds and quick fixes. With the device in the market, talk of simple workarounds stalled and security concerns for the mainstream users won out. Sales of the device also stalled outside China. Huawei has spent the intervening months pushing its Huawei Mobile Services alternative to Google, with financial incentives for developers to jump on board. But Google is still Google, and there is no real alternative yet.

As previewed for Forbes.com by David Phelan, the P40 shows every sign of being another standout hardware achievement for Huawei. But the reality is that the world outside China is not yet ready to buy a non-Google Android phone en masse. Yes, there are clunky ways around, but no, not everything will work. And there are inevitable user complexities and security concerns in trying something new. Google even took the surprise step of warning users not to try these dangerous methods.

And so bear all that in mind with the latest whizz-bang workaround to hit the web. Surfacing first on Twitter and HuaweiBlog.de and picked up by Gizguide and others, there is apparently a new quick fix that makes it “even easier” to install GMS, the package of Google apps and underlying services that sits atop the basic Android OS.



All you need, the German blog says, is to install an app called “Chat Partner,” which, they say, provides a “one-click solution” to the problem. It’s a five-minute job, they claim, “and without any prior knowledge, technical know-how or accessories.”



The blog provides a video and step-by-step instructions. Simply put, the app’s installation detects a device in need of repair—because it’s missing GMS, of course, and offers you a one-click way to repair it—installing GMS. Enter your Google password and you’re good to go. Since issuing the initial instructions, the blog advises, “it has been necessary to register again via the app (web view) so that the device is registered. Otherwise, it fails and a Play Protect error is displayed.”



This is a grey area, to say the least. GMS is not licensed for new Huawei phones. So if you run this solution on a Mate 30 or P40, you are in breach of that license requirement and do not have any of the usual protections you would expect. Nor can you guarantee the software will not be switched off at some point, as happened to the well-known “LZPlay” Mate 30 workaround last year.

HuaweiBlog.de says that “despite our extensive tests, app appraisal and observation of possible illegal account activity in the days after the installation, we received a legitimate security notice.” The blog does acknowledge that “we have not been able to test whether this will lead to restrictions in subsequent use.”

This is notable because it seems so easy. How the app is circumventing Google security is unknown. There were implications last year that Huawei might overlook certain bypasses—their consumer head Richard Yu essentially promised users a fix—but this was all quickly shut down by Google and then Huawei.

As for security concerns, HuaweiBlog.de says it seems safe. “The app is basically a script with the necessary applications that are necessary for the GMS... I myself have tried this new option repeatedly in the past few days. I couldn't see any restrictions. Nor have I noticed any ‘dubious’ traffic. And even a short consultation with ‘the experts’ did not raise any concerns.”

It’s likely this is a rework of the pulled LZPlay app—no Google Pay or DRM apps, just as before. But Google is clear on the issue: “Google is prohibited from working with Huawei on new device models or providing Google’s apps including Gmail, Maps, YouTube, the Play Store and others for preload or download.” Users that choose to bypass Google security and licensing carry “a high risk of installing an app that has been altered or tampered with in ways that can compromise user security.”

Will this offer a workable workaround for millions? Unlikely. As before, it takes a brave user to break the secure OS and try something different. And it’s fairly likely that this workaround will be shut down now it’s in the public domain and Google will be asked how it’s bypassing its checks. That said, it’s still available as at the time of publishing, so many will give it a try. You have been warned.

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