A new rumor is brewing around the possibility of several major Chinese smartphone brands, including Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and OnePlus, developing Android versions that do not rely on Google Mobile Services (GMS).
This move is believed to be driven by concerns over ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China with potential future restrictions, similar to those previously faced by Huawei.
This situation brings to mind the challenges Huawei encountered during the first Trump administration, when U.S. trade restrictions barred American companies, including Google, from providing software and components to Huawei.
As a result, Huawei’s devices lost access to key Google services like the Play Store, Maps, and Gmail, forcing the company to develop its own operating system, HarmonyOS.
Now, with renewed trade tensions between the U.S. and China, other Chinese smartphone makers appear to be exploring their own backup plans.
Rumors suggest that these companies may collaborate on creating a Google-free operating system, possibly with Huawei’s involvement. Xiaomi’s upcoming HyperOS 3 is said to be a potential foundation for such a system, though details are unclear.
It’s still unknown whether these companies would ensure compatibility with existing Android apps or follow Huawei’s approach with HarmonyOS NEXT, which entirely removes Android app support.
As with all rumors, these claims should be taken with a grain of salt. However, given the current trade tensions, it’s not entirely out of the question that Chinese brands could pursue this path.
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