Honor smartphones from Huawei currently do not support Google and its services. But at the same time, loyal fans have not stopped buying smartphones from this company; on the contrary, their popularity is increasing even more. Huawei has already created its own ecosystem, which includes laptops, smartwatches, smartphones, etc.
Many people just liked that the intrusive Google and its services will no longer be on the phone. But how can you install the applications you need on your phone if there is no Play Market? Let's figure it out now.
Why is there no Play Store in Honor?
The American government blacklisted Huawei back in 2022, and in the meantime Google broke off all contacts with it.
Moreover, if a smartphone was released before May 2022, then it contains the Play Market and Google in general. Applications will also continue to be updated and security will continue to work. But new devices released after May 2022 will no longer have Google services.
What is the reason for this turn of events? It all lies in the merger of a Chinese company with enterprises included in the list of organizations that have limited access to US technologies and even goods.
Google and Huawei will be able to reunite again, but when this will happen is still unclear. Moreover, the second company is actively trying to create its own system independent of Android.
Remember that by installing non-native Play Market on Honor devices, you risk receiving fake software. Viruses, slowdown of the system and applications - this is what can be achieved. Therefore, you need to know how to install applications on a smartphone without Play Market.
How to install Google Services via VMOS
After executing the Shutdown command, the virtual machine is shut down. It usually takes a few seconds to turn on.
How to start using Google Services on a virtual operating system:
- Click on the VMOS icon.
- The same window that opens after clicking on the “Shutdown” button will appear in front of you. Tap on the “Play” button, which is shown as a triangle with its apex pointing to the right.
- The desktop will load. Raise the shade from the Settings button.
- Click on the Play Market application shortcut. If the program starts updating, wait until the process completes. Otherwise, the Play Market program may crash.
- Click on the “Login” button.
- Enter your Google profile information.
- Agree to the terms of service.
Now enter a random application in the search. For example, Google Docs. Install it and test it. If you did everything correctly, any programs should start.
Synchronization with a Google account will be available only when the virtual machine is turned on, in the VMOS program mode.
APP Gallery - built-in application store
Honor phones have their own pre-installed app store called APP Gallery. It is from this that device users can install various applications.
What are its features?
- Protection against threats in four stages - the security system carefully scans all programs, checks confidentiality, and there is also a manual check for other parameters;
- Convenient and smart selection of applications - machine learning offers the user programs from different categories, based on his personal preferences;
- Categories by ratings - for example, the most popular, or the most downloaded;
- Gifts – privileges with premium features, coupons and much more can be received by owners of Huawei smartphones.
There is no need to download the Gallery APP as it is already installed on all Huawei Honor phones. To install any application from it, you need:
- Go to APP Gallery;
- Enter the name of the application into the search;
- Select it in the list and click on the “Install” button;
- Wait for the download to finish and use it.
But some note that the company store does not have many applications that are in the Play Market we are all familiar with. In this case, you can download the desired program from the Internet, for example, from the TrashBox website. The applications are checked for viruses and do not pose a threat to the phone.
How to install VMOS on Honor 30
You can use “left” applications for Honor phones using virtual machines. If you cannot install the necessary programs on the device’s own OS, try simply installing any guest operating system of your choice on the gadget.
How to install the VMOS application on Honor 30 to create virtual machines:
- Open your browser.
- Enter the name of the VMOS program in the search bar.
- Follow the provided link to vmos.com.
- Click on the button labeled “Download” to begin downloading.
- Tap the “Download” button that appears at the bottom of the screen.
- You will be taken to the next window. Through it you can track the download progress.
- When the download is complete, click on the block that says “Downloaded” and the name of the file.
- Next, click on the “Install” button, which you will see in the lower right corner.
- When the installation process is completed successfully, click on the “Open” button.
- Swipe approximately 3 times from right to left.
- Stop when you see “Enter VMOS Pro” at the bottom of the screen. Click on it.
- Tap on the “One click authorization” button.
- Click on the inscription “Set up now”.
- At the top you will see a toggle switch. Move its slider to the active position.
- Give the app all requested permissions.
- When finished, click on the “Add virtual machine” button.
- After this, the installation of the virtual system will start.
- When the installation is complete, you will see a regular Android OS desktop. Click on the “Settings” button, made in the form of a gear.
- Pay attention to one of the top items called “Google Services”. Use your finger to move the slider to the on position.
- Confirm the action and wait.
- When the progress bar is full, press the “Complete” button.
- Return to the virtual system desktop.
- Look for the small semi-circular icon on the right side of the screen. Tap on it.
- A small window will appear in front of you with available functions. Select "Shutdown".
The user will see a folder with the launch file. Close it the same way you usually do. Then exit to the normal desktop of your operating system. Scroll through it to find the newly appeared shortcut from the VMOS program.
APKPure is an analogue of Google Play for Honor
But not only the Play Market or Ep Gallery can be used on Android devices. There are many analogues. We will tell you about one of the most popular and convenient ones - APKPure.
This is a platform site that allows you to install games and applications on your device. You can install this store on your phone and use it instead of the others.
What features are worth highlighting?
- No regional restrictions. You can easily install any game that would have the “Not available in your country” label on the Play Market.
- Fast work. The application does not freeze, it works smoothly and at the same time quickly.
- On Android TV you can install any applications, for example, a browser or games that are not in the Play Store.
- Does not run various processes in the background. Thanks to this, the device’s charge will not fly away at lightning speed.
- Lightweight application.
We have figured out the advantages of the store, now we need to understand how to install it. We recommend doing this exclusively from their official website, which will ensure reliability and security.
- Go to the website https://apkpure.com/ru/apkpure-app.html;
- Click on the “Download” button;
- We wait until the APK file is downloaded, and then install it on the smartphone. If the phone does not allow installation, go to the settings and check the box next to “Allow installation from unknown sources”;
- After installation, go to the application and use it.
You can search for programs the same way as in other stores - using search or looking at categories.
How to replace Google applications on a Huawei smartphone?
If you really need Google services - it doesn’t matter so much for work or personal use - you will have certain difficulties with the new Huawei and Honor smartphones. However, you will be able to use some of Google's apps or replace Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, Hangouts Meet, and so on. Let's look at how to do this below.
Applications that can be replaced with web versions
If applications do not launch, this may be due to constant updates of Google services. In this case, you can simply replace some utilities with web versions. Basecamp 3 and eBay can be replaced without any problems.
With many others you will have to cheat, since some of them recognize that you are opening them from a smartphone. Then they invite you to download the app from the Google Play store - and... A vicious circle.
In the pre-installed smartphone browser, you can set individual URLs (for example, hangouts) so that they always open in the full version for desktops. After this, web applications will launch normally. Unfortunately, using the full version of the site on a smartphone is not very convenient due to the small font and small buttons. In addition, you will not receive any notifications. In fact, web notifications certainly exist, but Huawei's built-in browser does not let them through.
You can place links to web apps right on your home screen. This makes it appear as if you actually installed the application. Unfortunately, the browser defaults to opening a new tab every time you do this, but Firefox (or Fennec in the F-Droid directory) solves this much more simply by loading web apps separately and thus avoiding duplication. For example, Twitter is very convenient to use in this way.
As for Hangouts , such techniques do not work with this application. Since the Hangouts project itself will soon be closed, there is no point in worrying about this. A similar type of third-party client was in development called HangupsDroid, but was suspended a year ago.
Alternatives to popular apps
- Google Assistant - Alexa (Amazon Store), AntennaPod (F-Droid)
- Google Calendar - Business Calendar 2 (AppGallery)
- Google Maps - Maps.me (AppGallery)
- Gmail - Email (built-in application)
- Joey - Reddit (APK Pure)
- Threema - Threema (Threema.ch)
Alexa can do almost everything that Google Assistant , so it makes sense to try this app. But, for example, with Honor 9X Pro it shows certain problems. If you want to use Alexa to listen to music or podcasts, be aware that sometimes playback will freeze, the stream won't load, or won't resume after being paused. AntennaPod from F-Droid is a great replacement for listening to podcasts.
Alexa , on the other hand, is suitable for controlling your smart home, even if you've been relying on Google for that matter until now. Of course, for data security reasons, it is recommended to use open source solutions such as hass.io or OpenHAB, but their voice control has not yet been developed to the required extent.
If we talk about Google Calendar , then it is easily replaced by Business Calendar 2 . You'll have to sign in to your Google account (two-step verification is no problem), and within seconds all your scheduled appointments are synced both ways.
If your job requires you to use Google Calendar as an online service, you might want to consider looking for a different app. The thing is that Google doesn't use the standard calendar with the CalDAV protocol (or contacts that support the CardDAV protocol). As a result, this greatly limits the choice of compatible calendar apps and provides a sort of lock-in with Google.
If Google Maps for walking or cycling, Maps.me proves to be a suitable replacement, but there are other alternatives. Google Maps itself is probably more interesting to car drivers.
The original Google Maps is available as a download from APKPure or other third parties and works surprisingly well. You simply can't log in, and a Google Play warning appears when you try to determine your location. But you can ignore this and set the exact location manually.
As for Gmail , it can be configured without any problems in the pre-installed mail application. Two-step verification will not become an obstacle, as is often the case when logging into a Google account in third-party utilities. The built-in mail application, unfortunately, only downloads a few dozen letters from the mailbox. But older emails can be found by clicking the Search Server button.
What do you have to lose
Alas, you will still lose quite a lot of functionality. Of the non-replaceable applications, only one has been discovered so far - Swipetimes .
Notifications
Almost all notifications will disappear. Only emails and - with a long delay - new Telegram messages will make your smartphone vibrate. Otherwise there is silence.
This is due not only to Google services, but also to the aggressive behavior of the EMUI shell in relation to the energy consumption of applications. It pauses all background activities of applications, so notifications from them do not go through. Since many utilities try to check for new emails, messages, etc. in the background, Huawei software kills such processes.
Therefore, Huawei should create a system that eliminates this shortcoming.
Problems with Google Cast
If you have a FireTV Stick, Chromecast, or speakers that support casting, please note that you will not find casting buttons in Huawei smartphone streaming apps.
Some Wi-Fi speakers can easily be connected via Google Cast as a multi-room system. But in this case, Google Cast will not work. There is an application called LocalCast (you can find it in the AppGallery) with which you can send streams from your smartphone to Google Cast devices. The app is also capable of redirecting web streams via the Share menu.
Contactless payments are not possible
Huawei should pay close attention to contactless payments. In America, Google Pay has a big advantage due to its strong integration with banks and PayPal. In Europe, Google is struggling to gain a similar advantage. If Huawei wants to catch up, the company, one way or another, will have to be more active and negotiate with banks.
Conclusion
If you don’t want unnecessary experiments and prefer to simplify your life, choose a smartphone from a different brand.
But in general, the situation with Google applications on Huawei smartphones can be improved. It won't be perfect, but it will force you to experiment and try something new. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss new videos about mobile games Subscribe
What to do if your phone does not support Google
If, however, your device is not a device with the Play Store, then you can resort to one of the following methods:
- Use the built-in “Huawei Market” - the AppGallery application store and install alternatives to familiar programs. For example, Google Pay can be replaced by the Wallet program. For many applications, you don't need to look for what to install instead - they are available for installation. For example, these are Yandex and Mail Ru services. In general, there are thousands of programs in AppGallery, and you will definitely choose the set that suits you.
- Install in Honor without the Play Store an “alternative store” of applications adapted for Huawei – APKPure. This is, in fact, a more automated process for installing apk files, and you know for sure that you will not install a version with a virus. In addition, all applications can be updated to the latest version, which will not work if you simply install the apk.
- Manipulations with the device - flashing, FRP unlocking, manual installation of services and similar actions. They can help if Honor models do not have Play Market, but they are not suitable for all devices and not in all cases. Before making a decision about such an operation, you need to weigh the pros and cons.
Now you know how to determine which Honor smartphones have the Play Store. Typically, the price of devices without Google services is lower - this is due to both the license fee and lower demand. I am sure that with the help of these instructions you will be able to choose a suitable smartphone on which you can install all the programs you need.
What does Huawei say?
Nothing. During the presentation, there was only one accent - the accent of the head of Huawei Devices, Richard Yu, who was falling asleep (ugh! I'll be damned for that racist joke).
In fact, the company will give developers $1 billion to create software directly for the Gallery App, Huawei's own app store.
But the problem is that the top ten popular applications will not be in the Gallery App. Firstly, because it’s impossible. Secondly, a billion is not enough.
How to watch YouTube
For many people who buy Huawei without support for Google services, the main disadvantage will be the lack of YouTube. This video hosting has become a guide to the world of the Internet for millions of users, but access to it is blocked on the Chinese company’s phone.
But in fact, you can still watch videos on YouTube. True, with some inconveniences. For example, you can download the corresponding application via APK Pure. You will be able to watch any videos, but at the same time you will not be able to log in. This means that access to the Subscriptions feed will be limited.
A more reliable option is to use the browser version of YouTube. It is available in any browser at youtube.com. Open the appropriate page and log in with your account. This will give you access to all subscriptions.
If it is important for you to watch videos through the YouTube application, you will need to first install all Google services. We'll tell you how to do this at the end of the material.
What applications can I use?
Most popular applications work without problems. These are all common instant messengers - WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Facebook Messenger and even ICQ. Also all popular social networks - VKontakte, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and others. Many music services also work, for example, MTS Music, car sharing (for example, Delimobil), and food delivery services (Delivery Club, Samokat). There are no problems with online cinemas, and YouTube works right in the browser. Everything is fine with office applications: if you want - mobile Microsoft Office, if you want - the popular Android OfficeSuite. Applications of Russian banks also function. Booking.com and Aviasales are available for travelers.
The list of software for shopping can take a long time, but almost everything works from the main programs.
It’s quite sad, perhaps, that the situation is only with one category of software - rental of bicycles and scooters. Almost none of the applications even launch, as they use Google analytics and maps, which are not available. Of the large services, only Molnia functions.
Why delete them?
The average user of a smartphone running Android 10 or Android 11 may not understand why some people are trying to get rid of Google services. However, there is an explanation for everything. And, when it comes to GMS, the most often cited reasons for deleting pre-installed applications are:
- desire to get rid of Google surveillance;
- increasing battery life;
- freeing up ROM and RAM space.
Despite the apparent advantage of a smartphone without Google services, you should be aware of all the disadvantages and risks. Thus, on a device without GMS it will be more difficult to use popular programs like YouTube and Instagram, and the gadget itself will be susceptible to threats due to the lack of Google’s security system.
How to use contactless payments via NFC
Google Pay is not the only way to pay for purchases in stores by touching your smartphone to the terminal. In fact, there are alternatives to this service.
For example, AppGallery has a Wallet app. It is intended for storing discount cards, of which there are now so many that they cannot fit into a wallet. But it also learned how to make contactless payments on NFC-enabled smartphones. Currently, the application only works with MasterCard cards of eleven major banks (list on the website), but it is expected that Visa and Mir will soon master the application, and the list of banks will be expanded.
AppGallery suggests installing “Wallet” on first launch as part of the “newbie kit,” but it’s okay if you missed that chance—let’s create a new one and just find the app by searching for “wallet.”
You need to register in the application, and if you have ever used it before, you can log into your old account (and at the same time recover your password) - all old saved cards will be pulled up.
Adding a new card is also not difficult: you can enter its number, expiration date and CVV/CVC, but in general it’s easier to just tap it on the phone, and all the data is read from the chip in the card. Then follows a short procedure for activating the card (usually with a code from an SMS from the bank).
And then everything works exactly the same as with Google Pay - you don’t need to launch the application before paying, you just need to bring your phone to the terminal.
More about Huawei: Installing Google services on Huawei P40 Pro: 5 hours of torment and that’s it?
What does this mean for users?
There will be no YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Netflix, Snapchat. Someone will say: “Well, thank God.” And I agree about some apps: I’m also tired of looking at people/dogs’ faces on Instagram. But I like to make stories, post photos and talk about our work on our profile.
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Live photos of new iPhones from @jc_ru have arrived! How do you like it??
Posted by WylsacomRed (@wylsacom_red) Sep 10, 2022 at 1:45 PDT
And you love to like them. And post your photos, make your stories. But if you buy Huawei Mate 30, you will most likely be deprived of this opportunity. Why then do you need the potentially coolest camera for 1100 €?
The new app store is pain and suffering. What if I bought several expensive apps there? Why do I have to pay money again when switching from one Android smartphone to another Android smartphone?
