Facebook Blocks Huawei From Pre-Installing Instagram, WhatsApp on Its Phones

Huawei is running into more problems this week after the US government banned businesses from doing business with the Chinese company. Reuters is reporting that Facebook is now joining Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and others in the Huawei ban.

The social network giant is reportedly pulling its apps from Huawei devices. More specifically, Huawei will no longer be able to pre-install Facebook apps on its new phones, and that includes Facebook itself, as well as WhatsApp and Instagram. Facebook said the company’s apps will continue work and receive updates for existing users, but new users who get new (and existing) phones, won’t be able to get the apps pre-installed.

Facebook blocking its popular apps from being pre-installed on Huawei devices is a big blow to the phone maker. Although new owners of current Huawei devices will simply be able to download Facebook apps from the Play Store, owners of the company’s upcoming devices will be left out.

As Google is blocking its services on new Huawei devices, users won’t be able to access the Play Store, meaning they won’t be able to install popular social apps like Instagram and WhatsApp. They will still likely be able to access Facebook services through the web app counterparts, but without the native mobile apps, Huawei’s upcoming phones may no longer be a choice for people looking to buy new phones.

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  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    07 June, 2019 - 5:40 am

    <p>Facebook actually doing a service to humanity? Whatever next.</p><p>Saves me having to go through my new devices and remove/disable all that malware. Now, if only they would do that with all manufacturers!</p><p><br></p><p><em>Facebook blocking its popular apps from being pre-installed on Huawei devices is a big blow to the phone maker.</em></p><p>I would say that that is a huge selling point!</p>

    • SvenJ

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2019 - 3:09 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#433792"><em>In reply to wright_is:</em></a><em> </em>And to comply with regulations.</blockquote><p><br></p>

  • Daekar

    07 June, 2019 - 6:31 am

    <p>So… hilarious that this is pitched as a bad thing. Pre-installed apps are terrible, I wish I could buy a phone <em>without any 3rd party apps</em> as part of the default OS configuration. </p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2019 - 6:36 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#433796">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Exactly.</p>

    • j_c

      07 June, 2019 - 6:48 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#433796">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>What’s next? “Horrible blow, Facebook &amp; Google will no longer spy on, track and show ads to Huawai users”</p>

    • SebastianZHD

      07 June, 2019 - 8:45 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#433796">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>It's a bad thing because they won't be able to get them from the app store either, so most people are gonna go "well [email protected], guess I'm not getting THAT phone".</p>

      • Daekar

        07 June, 2019 - 9:12 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#433823">In reply to SebastianZHD:</a></em></blockquote><p>Let's be honest, this is making a mountain out of a molehill. If people care about having access to the Google Play Store, the fact that the Facebook app is or isn't pre-installed is NOT going to make them want to buy the phone. The Venn diagram of people who want the Facebook app, won't use the web client, are allowed to access Facebook by their government, <em>and </em>don't care about access Google Play is very small indeed.</p>

        • SebastianZHD

          07 June, 2019 - 9:50 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#433838">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>That's a good point. I'd ASSUME most people won't be aware of any of this anyway. I wonder how many people are going to buy a phone assuming they're going to have access to the app store, only to call up Huawei support or whoever they bought it from saying "uhm, where are the apps?", then proceed to get very upset.</p>

          • skane2600

            07 June, 2019 - 12:37 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#433846">In reply to SebastianZHD:</a></em></blockquote><p>Considering how hard it's always been to buy an Huawei phone and how much more difficult it will probably be now, I think anyone who buys one will be aware of these issues.</p>

            • SebastianZHD

              07 June, 2019 - 3:50 pm

              <blockquote><em><a href="#433884">In reply to skane2600:</a></em></blockquote><p>Maybe in the US, but in the rest of the world?</p>

              • skane2600

                07 June, 2019 - 7:29 pm

                <blockquote><em><a href="#433917">In reply to SebastianZHD:</a></em></blockquote><p>IMO people in the rest of the world tend to be more aware of international issues than people here in the US. I have no idea how much of a thing Facebook is outside the US.</p>

            • wright_is

              Premium Member
              08 June, 2019 - 2:57 am

              <blockquote><em><a href="#433884">In reply to skane2600:</a></em></blockquote><p>It depends where you are, here they are the most advertised, closely followed by Samsung, and they are the most heavily promoted by carriers.</p>

        • curtisspendlove

          07 June, 2019 - 12:50 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#433838">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p><em>Let's be honest, this is making a mountain out of a molehill.</em></p><p><br></p><p>I'm a little confused then.</p><p><br></p><p>I hear non-stop about how Chrome OS is a "toy, non-starter" because all it has is access to web apps.</p><p><br></p><p>But now, not having a built-in <strong>app store</strong> isn't a problem? Because it's simple to just go to a browser tab?</p><p><br></p><p>The industry has spent the last decade training consumers to look for apps in an app store. I think, when they can't find Google Play Store, they are going to be as confused as all those people supposedly returning Chromebooks when the new Chromebook owners can't install their multitudes of favorite WIN32/64 apps. </p><p><br></p><p>Yes, I know, they can just "side-load" apps. But as the Family and Friend's Tech Support Individual in my circles, I don't want to try to teach people this; nor do I want the headache of having to find and side-load everything for them. </p><p><br></p><p>An easier option would be to pin the websites to the homescreen (which I currently do for the occasional website); but we all know websites can be horrible on phone devices. Also, as of now, the native app experience is still better; especially if a site doesn't take advantage of PWA APIs.</p><p><br></p><p>While it might not be a catastrophic blow to Huawei, I think it's more serious than many think.</p>

          • Daekar

            07 June, 2019 - 10:49 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#433890">In reply to curtisspendlove:</a></em></blockquote><p>You misunderstand. Not having access to Google Play is a huge deal. Not having the Facebook app pre-installed on a phone without access to Google Play is not in the same way that finding a spot of rust on a Ferrari that was just destroyed in a head-on collision is not a huge deal.</p>

            • curtisspendlove

              09 June, 2019 - 1:07 pm

              <blockquote><em><a href="#433941">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p><em>You misunderstand. Not having access to Google Play is a huge deal.</em></p><p><br></p><p>Ah, gotcha. I can agree with that then.</p>

          • wright_is

            Premium Member
            08 June, 2019 - 2:59 am

            <blockquote><em><a href="#433890">In reply to curtisspendlove:</a></em></blockquote><p>The devices won't come without an app store, the current ones already have the Huawei App Gallery, which is, admitedly, sparesly populated outside of China because everybody assumes Google Play is "the" app store, but it is there. If they can attract devs to also put their apps in the store, there shouldn't be a problem.</p>

    • lvthunder

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2019 - 11:01 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#433796">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>You can buy a phone that comes with no 3rd party apps. It's called an iPhone.</p>

      • Daekar

        07 June, 2019 - 10:52 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#433876">In reply to lvthunder:</a></em></blockquote><p>Fair enough. It's a shame that it's not worth tolerating limitations that come with that experience… My work iPhone is a very nice piece of hardware, has great battery life and fluid UI response, but the UI design is terrible and the whole thing is super limiting in lots of ways. </p>

  • gstevenb

    Premium Member
    07 June, 2019 - 9:17 am

    <p>Not to be pedantic, but there is a double negative in the tease under this article on the main page.</p>

    • SvenJ

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2019 - 3:08 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#433840"><em>In reply to gstevenb:</em></a><em> </em>Bothered me too.</blockquote><p><br></p>

    • IanYates82

      Premium Member
      09 June, 2019 - 4:33 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#433840">In reply to gstevenb:</a></em></blockquote><p>It's not only that, but the classic Americanism where what's written is the opposite of what's meant. </p><p><br></p><p>Won't have no way… </p><p>Should be</p><p>Won't have any way</p><p><br></p><p>Irks me intensely. Common example is "could care less" when you're trying to say you don't care… </p>

  • karlinhigh

    Premium Member
    07 June, 2019 - 11:28 am

    <p>Last time I checked, WhatsApp had an official APK download for side-loading. I do not know about the other two.</p><p><br></p><p>Assuming China is the largest market for Huawei, I expect people there wouldn't be able to use those apps anyhow, and want WeChat instead.</p>

  • waethorn

    07 June, 2019 - 12:45 pm

    <p>If "the future is private", does that mean that Facebag is shutting down sometime foreseeable?</p>

    • Tony Barrett

      08 June, 2019 - 10:18 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#433887">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>We can wish!</p>

  • Chris Payne

    07 June, 2019 - 12:56 pm

    <p>From the article teaser: "…<span style="color: rgb(49, 50, 51);">and Facebook on its phones, meaning future devices won't have no way of getting Facebook apps."</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(49, 50, 51);">Maybe I'm being petty, but that should be "won't have _any_." </span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(49, 50, 51);">I swear no one does any editing/reviewing of articles on this site.</span></p>

  • paulwp187

    Premium Member
    07 June, 2019 - 1:40 pm

    <p>That photo is the ultimate internet meme.</p>

  • CompUser

    07 June, 2019 - 2:11 pm

    <p>"The future is private." Oh, please. The future will never be private. Technology giants, and our apparent willingness to sacrifice our complete privacy to Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung, for the sake of saving a few clicks on a mouse or TV remote, or typing a few words on a computer keyboard, has guaranteed that. Those five companies all have devices in our (newer) cars and/or homes that are constantly on, constantly listening, and constantly recording (admitted to by Samsung) everything they hear. Yet, very few people, apparently, see an issue with that. And until they do, privacy is history, not the future.</p>

  • chaad_losan

    07 June, 2019 - 7:01 pm

    <p>"The future is about making me and only me all the monies!"</p>

  • Ndragonawa

    08 June, 2019 - 12:03 am

    <p>Banner/Hulk: I see this as an absolute win!</p>

  • Tony Barrett

    08 June, 2019 - 10:16 am

    <p>I think <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Huawei&nbsp;should be really pleased by this decision. FB should be banned from infesting anything…</span></p>

    • PeterC

      08 June, 2019 - 12:36 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#434011">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote><p>Exactly. It’s funny but The US govt is starting to create the conditions for the perfect mobile handset to exist. Something without US Govt backdoor snooping and US corporate data hoovering in built which can’t be removed. </p><p><br></p><p>It maybe a rocky road getting there but by default we just might get a handset that I’d happily buy and use long term. Whilst I’m kinda taking the mickey, I’m also being vaguely serious too. This whole shenanigan may end up being the most disruptive tech event for years to come. Hilarious.</p>

  • wwang

    08 June, 2019 - 7:20 pm

    <p>Apps builder like FB used to pay a huge $$ for high volume phone maker like Samsung or Huawei to preload their apps. Given all the drama going on with Huawei, it’s safe to assume their shipment would go south, so on the nutshell it looks like FB joining Google and others blocking Huawei, the true is really they want to retreat from the preload deal they inked with Huawei and not going to pay for a declining volume. This doesn’t mean Huawei user can’t install or run FB on the phone. So it’s not “big blow to Huawei”. It’s like I’m buying an iPhone clean without FB installed, I can still recover or download from the store if I want. </p>

  • birju009

    10 June, 2019 - 5:32 am

    <p>Data leak by Facebook spam see your <a href="https://www.meetfitnessindia.com/2019/06/dandruff-ke-karan-or-treatment-home-made-remedies.html&quot; target="_blank">List </a></p>

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