Huawei Tom Tom scandal ...
Chinese phone maker Huawei has teamed up with Dutch digital mapping company Tom Tom to put maps on their phones, Reuters reports. A Tom Tom spokesman told Reuters that the deal "ended some time ago" but was made public last week.
Tom maintains self-branding apps on iOS and Android, and builds his own apps with Tom Tom's maps, traffic information, and navigation tools, Reuters explains. Tom Tom has previously provided data for Apple Maps - it was part of a pseudonymous patch of data providers at launch, but Apple reportedly continued to use its services even after refilling the app.
Earlier reports said that Huawei was developing a comprehensive mapping system called the "Map Kit". The software is for application developers and can use data from Russian tech giants Yandex and Huawei's "telecom base stations". The Tom Tom deal could mean that Huawei is at least temporarily backing up the map set, or that it is still working on technology and needs a short-term solution.
Like most Android phone manufacturers, Huawei has so far relied on Google Maps. But the Trump administration last year imposed sanctions on the company, threatening relations with American technology companies such as Google. Huawei still uses Android, but the future of that deal is "unclear" and Huawei has introduced its own operating system, HarmonyOS. The Tom Tom deal further reduces reliance on Google - although mapping apps are hard to get right, Huawei is still unclear.
Like most Android phone manufacturers, Huawei has so far relied on Google Maps. But the Trump administration last year imposed sanctions on the company, threatening relations with American technology companies such as Google. Huawei still uses Android, but the future of that deal is "unclear" and Huawei has introduced its own operating system, HarmonyOS. The Tom Tom deal further reduces reliance on Google - although mapping apps are hard to get right, Huawei is still unclear.