Following the Huawei Trump ban, Chinese phone maker Huawei is set work with Dutch digital mapping company called TomTom to put maps on its phones, according to Reuters reports. A TomTom spokesperson told Reuters that the deal closed “some time ago,” but it became public late last week.
TomTom already has and maintains self-branded apps on iOS and Android and reports indicated that Huawei is now building its own apps with TomTom’s maps, traffic information, and navigation tools. TomTom has previously provided data for Apple Maps — which caused some issues for Apple at launch, but Apple reportedly kept using its services after overhauling the app as well.
Huawei is building a full-fledged mapping system known as “Map Kit,” according to previous reports. That software would be meant for app developers and could use data from Russian tech giant Yandex and Huawei’s own “telecom base stations.” The TomTom deal could signal that Huawei is at least temporarily backing off Map Kit, or that it’s simply still working on the tech and needs a short-term solution.
Users of Huawei’s current phone like the Mate 30 Pro, cannot use Google Mobile Services apps like Netflix and Uber even after they implement the work around to access the Google Play Store. Like many Android phone makers, Huawei has so far relied on Google Maps. But the Trump administration placed sanctions on the company last year, threatening its ties to American tech companies like Google. Huawei is still using Android for now, but the future of that deal is “unclear,” and Huawei is building its own operating system called HarmonyOS. The TomTom deal further reduces its dependance on Google — although mapping apps can be tricky to get right to the level at which Google has perfected its Maps, so Huawei isn’t in the clear yet.
