Why can't WhatsApp be downloaded on a Huawei phone - briefly?
The inability to download WhatsApp on a Huawei phone is primarily due to the U.S. trade ban imposed on Huawei, which restricts the company from accessing certain technologies and services provided by American companies like Meta, the owner of WhatsApp. This ban significantly impacts Huawei's ability to pre-install popular apps such as WhatsApp on its devices, leading to difficulties in downloading them directly from app stores.
Why can't WhatsApp be downloaded on a Huawei phone - in detail?
The inability to download WhatsApp on a Huawei phone is primarily due to the trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. government against Huawei. In May 2019, the Trump administration added Huawei to its Entity List, which restricts U.S. companies from doing business with the Chinese tech giant without special approval. This decision was driven by concerns over national security and espionage, as well as allegations of intellectual property theft.
Google, which owns the Android operating system that many Huawei phones use, is a U.S. company and thus subject to these restrictions. Consequently, Google has been unable to provide its services, including access to the Google Play Store, on new Huawei devices. The Google Play Store is the primary platform for downloading WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta (formerly Facebook), another U.S. company.
Huawei's response to these restrictions has been to develop its own operating system called HarmonyOS and its app store called AppGallery. However, many popular apps, including WhatsApp, are not available on AppGallery due to the same trade restrictions. While some users have resorted to sideloading WhatsApp by downloading the APK file from third-party websites, this method is not recommended as it can pose security risks and violate WhatsApp's terms of service.
In summary, the inability to download WhatsApp on a Huawei phone is a direct result of U.S.-China trade tensions and the subsequent restrictions placed on Huawei by the U.S. government. These restrictions have limited Huawei's access to Google services and the Google Play Store, making it challenging for users to download popular apps like WhatsApp.