Google v Huawei hits millions of smartphone users

Hundreds of millions of smartphone users will be affected by Google’s decision to sever its Android operating system ties with Chinese handset maker Huawei. The decision, in the midst of a US trade war with China, means that Huawei users will start losing access to Google’s proprietary services such as Gmail and Maps, and be shut out of future upgrades to Android on their phones. The move by the California internet giant on the software front was compounded by news that US chipmakers have stopped supplying Huawei, hitting the hardware of its phones.