Huawei P30 Pro, P30 and Mate 20 Pro WILL get Android Q update after all

published 21 June 2019

Huawei will roll-out the next major Android operating system update – dubbed Android Q – to its most popular "current devices", including the Huawei P30 and Huawei P30 Pro despite the ongoing US trade ban. Huawei sub-brand Honor is working on an Android Q update for the flagship Honor 20 series, too.

Last month, Google suspended all business with Huawei in order to comply with the US government blacklisting the technology company. According to Reuters, the suspension would mean that Huawei "immediately loses access to updates to Google's Android operating system.

"Future versions of Huawei smartphones that run on Android will also lose access to popular services, including the Google Play Store, Gmail and YouTube," it added.

However, Huawei has published a statement to confirm that a number of Huawei handset owners can expect to get access to the forthcoming Android OS upgrade, which brings a host of new features including a system-wide dark mode, improved location data controls, estimated remaining battery life in the notification dropdown, Digital Wellbeing timers in the app switcher, and new colour themes for the system.

"Our most popular current devices, including the P30 series, will be able to access Android Q. In fact, we have already launched a beta developer programme for Android Q which is running right now on our Mate 20 Pro device," Huawei says.

Our commitment to you, our UK fans. Further information can be found here: https://t.co/6qKGIL2OB4 pic.twitter.com/V5Af6EraaYJune 20, 2019

In its statement, Huawei confirms that all of its existing portfolio will continue to receive security updates and will not lose access to the Google Play Store. We already knew this wouldn't be an issue for existing handsets and tablets.

However, anyone who recently plumped for a Huawei P30, Huawei P30 Pro, Huawei Mate 20, or Huawei Mate 20 Pro will likely be very reassured by this statement. However, nothing has changed in regards to future handsets from the company.

According to Huawei, the smartphones that it is "confident" will receive Android Q are as follows:

Huawei P30 Pro
Huawei P30
Huawei P30 Lite
Huawei Mate 20
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Huawei PORSCHE DESIGN Mate 20 RS
Huawei P smart 2019
Huawei P smart+ 2019
Huawei P smart Z
Huawei Mate 20 X
Huawei Mate 20 X (5G)
Huawei P20 Pro
Huawei P20
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Huawei PORSCHE DESIGN Mate 10
Huawei Mate 10

If you still have any lingering doubts, Huawei has helpfully created a website designed to allay any fears about future updates for your smartphone.

Huawei is still fast-tracking its own mobile operating system, which is expected to launch with the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro later this year. It's still unclear whether the (now delayed) folding Huawei Mate X will run Android Q at launch.

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As a former Staff Writer for T3, Aaron writes about almost anything shiny and techie. When he’s not barking orders at Alexa-powered microwaves or gawping at 5G speed tests, Aaron covers everything from smartphones, tablets and laptops, to speakers, TVs and smart home gadgets. Prior to joining T3, Aaron worked at the Daily Express and and MailOnline.