A handful of major Chinese phone makers seem to be considering a shift away from Google. In what way, you may wonder. Well, they’re thinking of ditching GMS (Google Mobile Services) and using their own solutions instead, on top of Android.
Major Chinese phone makers allegedly consider ditching Google amid US tensions
The companies mentioned in the report are OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo. Those companies are amongst the most popular ones coming from China, needless to say.
Why would they want to ditch Google Mobile Services? Well, the short answer is… the US government. We all know what happened to Huawei, and these companies would like to avoid the same fate.
The US is in the middle of trade war with China
The US, following President Trump’s arrival, basically entered a trade war with China. These companies are allegedly worried about what might happen to them if they see the same fate as Huawei.
Take this rumor with a grain of salt, even though it does make sense. Xiaomi will allegedly lay down the groundwork for that move with HyperOS 3. Huawei is already far ahead. At this point in time, however, it’s not clear if these companies will cooperate in any way.
Huawei has been having this problem for a while, and with the launch of HarmonyOS NEXT, it basically ditched Android app compatibility as well. The company is pushing developers to make apps for its OS, without the involvement of Android at all. Globally, that’s a different story, at least for now.
Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO & Vivo play a huge role both in the global & Chinese smartphone markets
Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo account for two-thirds of smartphones shipped in China in Q1 2025. It’s also worth noting that Xiaomi, Vivo, and OPPO are in the top 5 smartphone manufacturers globally. So, if these companies make a joint decision in some way, that would make a huge impact.
This is just a wild rumor thus far, however, so as already mentioned, take it with a grain of salt. Those companies would rather stick with Google, most probably, but could have an ace up their sleeve if the worst happens. Who knows.
