This archive report was first published on 10 June 2020.
June 10, 2020 - The mobile phone landscape in Kenya has undergone a significant shift with the launch of Huawei's latest handsets, the Y7p and Nova 7i. These devices are equipped with Huawei's EMUI 10.1 operating system and Android 10, but surprisingly, they do not come with the Google Play Store pre-installed.
This means users have the option of downloading and installing apps from the Huawei AppGallery, which is an alternative to the Google Play Store and Apple's iOS app store.
According to Michael Omondi, an IT technician at a private university in Nairobi, users can still install Google applications on their devices. 'One way of doing it is by cloning your old mobile phone, then you will have all your old applications including those on Google Play Store,' he explains.
Another way is to download and install AppFinder from the Huawei AppGallery, then use it to search and download apps of your choice. Omondi adds that users can also utilize the Huawei Community on the handset to guide them while installing apps.
The launch of Huawei AppGallery is seen as an investment by Huawei Mobile to make its devices user-friendly. 'Huawei AppGallery has adopted a 'glocal' strategy that combines the best attributes of globalized collaborations with those of localized business operations, singling out only quality apps to ensure an enriching user experience that's lucrative for app developers as well,' said Brenda Khaimia, Huawei Mobile Kenya, Communications and Marketing Manager.
Laban Mwangi, a photo-journalist, praises the Huawei Nova 7i for its powerful AI video editor, which can be used to add background music and trim footage. 'I no longer need to be carrying with a video camera, with this phone, I'm able to do most of the tasks I do use my video camera and laptop,' he says.
