Facebook apps will no longer come pre-installed on Huawei devices

Facebook just dealt a dangerous blow to Huawei amidst the technology company’s ongoing legal battle with the US government. According to Reuters, Facebook will now no longer allow any three of its apps – Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp- to be pre-installed on any future Huawei devices.

The ban will only effect devices that have yet to leave the Huawei factory, and users who already have Huawei phones will still be able to access and update the three social apps. Other popular apps, like Twitter and Booking.com also come pre-installed on Huawei phones, but neither company has made a comment about following in Facebook’s footsteps.

Last month, the US government banned any American companies from supplying technology to Huawei, including Google, which provides Android software to the Chinese tech giant. Google was granted a 90-day reprieve to continue working with Huawei, which ends in August.

For now, Huawei phone owners will be able to download the Facebook apps from the Google Playstore on their devices, but when the reprieve expires, the Playstore will no longer be accessible. As a result, future Huawei phones will lose access to any and all apps on the Google Playstore, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, unless the US government changes its stance.

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