Huawei Mate 30: Unofficial Google services workaround no longer possible

Last month, the tech industry welcomed the arrival of new flagship smartphones from Apple, Samsung and Huawei. Apple presented the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, while Samsung offered the Galaxy Fold.

Meanwhile, Huawei touted the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro, which noticeably came with impressive technical specs and features that clearly surpasses the competition. Unfortunately, a notable caveat eventually derailed its momentum only to surge back up after an unofficial workaround was introduced. However, owners are in for some bad news as the loophole reportedly no longer works.

This is obviously a huge blow for the Chinese phone manufacturer and will likely affect sales. Shortly after its launch, tech-savvy users immediately found a way around the system to reactivate Google Play services despite the security measures in place. The process was seemingly quick and easy, which made it accessible even for the most technically challenged user. Nonetheless, its availability is short-lived as Huawei swiftly took action and cracked down on the offending application.

An article from 9to5Google details Huawei's speedy response to the Huawei Mate 30 security issue, which led to the takedown. Android security researcher John Wu is offering an explanation as to how the app gained unauthorised access to bypass the system checks along the way. It looks like the app's creator found a way to hijack Huawei's digital signature to mark the code as approved. However, further study is required to accurately pinpoint how the exploit was able to do so.

Now that everything is in place this will prevent new Huawei Mate 30 owners from installing the unauthorised code to recover Google Play services. Moreover, existing units that were able to activate the exploit prior to the recent takedown can no longer enjoy its functionality. Tech journalists are reporting SafetyNet evaluations failing and blocking Google apps from launching.

Huawei is now left with limited options to entice western markets to consider buying the Mate 30 or Mate 30 Pro. Still, those who are willing to overlook the absence of Google apps can still own an exceptional flagship handset with top-tier imaging capabilities. The future is uncertain for the company until it can get the U.S. government to lift the trade ban against its products.