Huawei Android Phones Blacklisted by Open Source Media Player VLC

• A background app policy in Huawei phones that prevents media players from running in the background has led to VLC banning the manufacturer’s devices.
• VLC decided to stop providing the Android version of the media player app as the developers were unable to provide the Background Play feature.
• All new Huawei phones with the exception of the Mate 10 Pro and P9 are unable to download VLC for Android.

Almost all of Huawei’s Android devices have been blacklisted by VLC developer Videolan due to the Chinese manufacturer’s take on background streaming. VLC released an official statement explaining why they had to pull the app for Huawei users while the phone manufacturer is yet to release a statement on the matter.

One of the most popular VLC for Android feature is ‘Background Play,’ which is unavailable to Huawei users because of how Huawei’s custom API blocks any app that tries to play media in the background. As of now, the app is available to only the Huawei Mate 10 Pro and Huawei Mate P9 among Huawei’s newer devices, as they support background play. Huawei’s policy of killing all background apps has been a concern for many users and app developers alike, which restricts the capabilities of many Android applications.

PSA: @HuaweiMobile phones are now blacklisted and cannot get VLC on the Play Store.
Their ridiculous policy of killing all background apps (except their own) breaks VLC audio background playback (of course).
See https://t.co/QzDW7KbV4I and many other reports...@HuaweiFr

— VideoLAN (@videolan) July 25, 2018

Huawei has been a controversial figure in the smartphone scene due to the brand’s software choices as well as political partnerships. It was revealed by the US Government that there are concerns regarding the telecommunications equipment used by Huawei. The Chinese vendor is marked as a threat to national security along with another Chinese manufacturer ZTE.

The FCC passed prevents manufacturers that are posed as threats to national security to be a part of subsidy programs aided by the government. The move by the FCC has prevented Huawei from making an entry into the smartphone market with very few devices shipped through online-only platforms.

Huawei has managed to ship over 100 million Android devices thanks to successful releases like the Honor 8 Pro and P20 Pro. The ban by VLC may also instigate other developers into boycotting the company due to the poor API and hurt the sales of the Chinese manufacturer.

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