This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
On July 30, 2019, a report by The Information revealed a secret partnership between Google and Huawei, which had been working on a smart speaker scheduled to launch at the IFA 2019 in September 2019.
According to the report, the two tech giants had revived their partnership just before the US Entity List ban, which effectively cut off Huawei's access to US technology.
Google's Assistant speakers are popular worldwide, but their availability in some markets can be limited. A partnership with Huawei would have made it easier for Google to expand its Assistant presence globally, given Huawei's extensive reach in virtually all parts of the world.
However, with Huawei's current situation, it remains to be seen whether the plan will be back in place. The smart speaker's fate hangs in the balance, and it looks unlikely that it will see the light of day.
Featured image source: CNBC
