Huawei P40 Pro: can you do without Google? Yes, but with difficulty.

The P40 Pro's camera takes excellent quality photos, the screen is top notch, the battery lasts a very long time and the hardware is plenty powerful enough. Unfortunately, Huawei isn't allowed to pre-install Google services like the Play Store, Google Maps or Gmail due to the US embargo. Android is not affected, as it is open source software. As Huawei had already equipped its devices with its own services in China, it was not completely left out in the cold. It's the rest of the world that now has to adapt, and we're not quite there yet.

As I set up the P40 Pro, I realise there's no point in you knowing which apps I'm missing, and what solutions I've found to replace them. That would be a very personal and irrelevant point of view. To give you a slightly more representative idea of the situation, I check how many of the 100 most popular apps on the German Play Store (on 28.07.2020) are in the AppGallery (Huawei's App Store), ready to install, and which ones I can find on other platforms via AppSearch.

AppGallery is supposed to replace the Play Store

Huawei is testing several strategies to fill the hole left by Google services. The majority of standard pre-installed apps come from the manufacturer. AppGallery access for developers has been simplified, and they have sometimes even received financial incentives. Huawei has also opened the door to other app sources so that, in theory, any Android app can be installed. Ultimately, the availability of an app is crucial to the success of a smartphone system. In fact, this is the point on which Windows Phone broke its teeth.

What have all these measures taken by Huawei brought us? Of the 100 most popular apps on the Play Store, only 25 are in the AppGallery, one of which is unfortunately not available in my region. I don't know whether Huawei is only restricting access to them in Germany, or whether this is the case throughout Europe. On two attempts to search, the phone shows me links for downloading APK files, which allow apps to be installed directly on the smartphone, without the App Store. This process doesn't require much more effort than installing directly from the AppGallery, but you have to trust the source from which you're downloading the files. You can't rely on full verification from Huawei or Google. The P40 Pro only performs a quick check just before installation.

Also, the Huawei App Store offers to redirect me to QuickApp for 18 of my searches. That's fine, but it's just the website for the various services. I can add unavailable apps to a wish list; I'll get a notification when they're available. Incidentally, Huawei can see which missing apps are in high demand.

If an app isn't on the AppGallery, you can be sure that search will provide you with alternatives. Whether they will satisfy your needs remains to be seen. Are you ready to part with Google Maps and let Maps.me or Here We Go guide you to your destination? It's a bit like having to find your bearings at the supermarket in your new neighbourhood.

AppSearch is supposed to find you apps

Huawei has clearly noticed that its AppGallery offering is still not enough. So it's developed AppSearch, another app search tool. I found 29 other apps listed among the 100 most popular in the Play Store. Unfortunately, two of them are not available in Germany, and probably not in the rest of Europe either. AppSearch mainly finds APK installation files on various download portals. You can install them, but be aware that updates for these apps will take longer to install on your smartphone than if they came from the Play Store.

AppSearch suggests that I download 10 of the 27 apps from the Amazon Appstore. I haven't installed them yet, but it's another source of apps for the P40 Pro. The offer looks good, but I can only find two other apps to complete the Play Store's top 100. And AppSearch doesn't recognise the Amazon App Store on my phone. It directs me back to the Amazon site. It assumes that I still need to download and install it. So I have to repeat my Amazon Appstore search.

In many cases, AppSearch does nothing more than refer me to a website. All the same, it suggests I create shortcuts. That's something. At least I feel like I'm opening an app, even if it's just a website.

Is a limited offer enough?

To sum up, I managed to find 53 apps among the 100 most popular on the Play Store. I'd advise you to use AppSearch primarily, as the tool also leads to AppGallery if you're unsure. When you search directly in Huawei's App Store, you're likely to go through twice as much effort if you don't find what you're looking for there, and fall back on AppSearch.

53 apps out of 100 isn't mind-blowing, but I admit I don't miss most of the apps I couldn't find. Huawei fares much better when it comes to essential apps and the most popular ones. The manufacturer puts quality before quantity. The idea is not to provide access to as many apps as possible, but to ensure that the most important ones are available. A good number of useful apps are missing all the same, and not just German apps, such as DB Navigator or Joyn, but also apps used all over the world, such as Disney+ or McDonalds.

Are these solutions satisfactory?

On the whole, I manage quite well without Google services, even if it is a little less convenient. Of course, I have to get used to not using Gmail or Google Maps, but I've been able to install most of my daily apps, or find usable alternatives. As for the other apps, I've been able to work out which services have a site that's well suited to mobile devices, and which don't. It's just a matter of having one or the other. However, all it takes is one missing app for the P40 to no longer be a viable option. For example, I can't install my bank's app. So I have to forget about making transfers from my phone. It's almost prohibitive.

Smartphones

Huawei P40 Pro

256 GB, Silver Frost, 6.58", Hybrid Dual SIM + eSIM, 50 Mpx, 5G

235

Smartphones

Huawei P40 Pro

256 GB, Silver Frost, 6.58", Hybrid Dual SIM + eSIM, 50 Mpx, 5G

235

Unfortunately, you can't easily check whether your must-have apps are available. And other Huawei smartphones only display apps available in the AppGallery. In any case, I wasn't able to install AppSearch on the Mate 20 Pro.

As a last resort, you can install Google Services yourself on the P40 Pro. It's certainly not the most elegant or secure solution, but it works. My colleague Dominik has tested it.