Huawei is also testing a Russian OS to replace Android in upcoming devices, report

The time is running for Huawei and after two months, it will be officially blocked from installing Google’s software on upcoming phones unless the ban gets delayed for two more years.

Being on the US trade ban list prevents Huawei from getting components and software from its U.S. supply chain. Chinese phone maker will soon be banned from installing the Google version of Android, including Google’s core apps and the Play Store, on its new phones. But the reports on Huawei’s expeditious efforts to look for alternatives are increasing every day.

We have previously reported that Huawei has shipped one million devices with its own Hongmeng OS installed in them only for users’ feedback and now a new report suggests that Huawei could still be considering another operating system. The well-known Russian media outlet The Bell reports that Huawei is looking at Aurora, an operating system built on the open source Sailfish platform from Russian developers to potentially replace Android.

According to the publications’ sources, Huawei Deputy Chairman Guo Ping met with the Russian Minister for Digital Development and Communications, Konstantin Noskov, and discussed the possibilities of using Aurora in upcoming Huawei phones.

Another source that media outlet cited, claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin has himself took interest in the matter and spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the possibilities on how Huawei can collaborate with Russian companies. The report goes on further to state that China is already testing devices with Aurora installed on them.

Adopting Sailfish OS could be a disruptive change to the smartphone experience as Huawei is already famous for producing the best hardware. The report also discussed the possibility that Huawei could have some of its phones produced in Russia along with chips and software.