An Android phone is often considered a Google-powered phone. However, not all Android phones have Google services, a problem most companies want to avoid. Interestingly, that might not be the case for Xiaomi, which seems to be working on a Google-free version.
A report by Xiaomitime claims that Xiaomi, BBK Group, and Huawei are working on a "Google-free Android alternative". For your info, BBK Group is also the parent company of OnePlus, OPPO, and vivo. In other words, five smartphone companies will be involved in this project. Anyway, it was alleged that Xiaomi HyperOS was chosen as the base.
Specifically, the Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0 could be the version that starts moving away from dependence on Google's ecosystem. As you know, this includes baked-in apps like Google Play Services, Google TV, Google Mobile Services, and more. The lack of such services would severely impact a device's user experience, so such a move isn't done lightly.
Fortunately, Huawei has experience building a Google-free Android alternative, which is likely why it's part of the collaboration. The company was banned from using Google Mobile Services on its devices in late 2019. Huawei's HarmonyOS had issues in its early years but has since become an established software ecosystem in China. Still, a Google-free Android alternative is unlikely to be seen favourably by global users.
Perhaps the move is in preparation for further bans due to geopolitical tensions caused by the recent US tariffs. We're not experts on that topic, but let us know what you think about this in the comments below!
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