Huawei AppGallery is now "downloadable" on any Android device. We all know about the "little scandal" caused by the removal of the Play Store from Huawei devices, starting with the P40 series. Owners of Android smartphones have always relied on the services of Google, so the move against the Chinese manufacturer has troubled the waters.
Of course, the fact that many of us prefer the Google Play Store, but we also occasionally do tricks with other third-party app stores in case we want to download something that can't be found on the official store, should it makes us think a little. The ecosystem created by Huawei could very well fall into such a category, that of third-party stores, but this is not the case.
Recently, Huawei announced that its AppGallery store will be available for download and installation on all Android smartphones, regardless of their brand. This means another way to put all your important nonsense / applications on your phone, and not through a third party store, but with the help of an official ecosystem, developed by a big name. Therefore, let's see how AppGallery behaves and what it has to offer.
Interface - The first thing you find in the Huawei AppGallery
Before we talk about what we can download from the store, I propose to see how the Huawei AppGallery looks. Once accessed, you are greeted by Featured - the home page, which comes with a rather cluttered interface. Newly introduced applications are presented, as well as the most popular games and services among users.
Featured
The moment you scroll, you're bombarded with a bunch of applications listed almost everywhere, and the search bar acts like a mini-slide that generates a self-completion effect of the most sought-after applications. At that point, I could swear I came across a not-so-elaborate third-party store, AC Market or APKPure-style. Unattractive.
Categories
This Featured is part of four main sections, along with Categories, Top and Me. If you managed to take your eyes off the application bombardment, you can navigate through Categories more easily, without getting lost in AppGallery. For this, Huawei has introduced a rich selection of terms and categories: Games, Business, Travel, Navigation, Lifestyle, all of them. This list is presented in an easier and simpler way, which dramatically makes your life dramatically if you want to download an application, if you are undecided / curious / bored.
Top
In the Top, you will be able to see the most popular applications, arranged according to a certain ranking. Nothing too wow, but the tags and short descriptions will indicate the field and topic of the respective applications. And this is much easier to follow than the home page, which confused me and made a not-so-great impression on me from the start. Don't get me wrong, the Play Store trending isn't sacred either, but compared to the Huawei store, the former is more airy and easier to follow.
"This is me"
The last main section addresses the user account. "Me" gives you access to detailed information about your HUAWEI ID account, gives you access to your store's purchase history, and is the main way you can interact with the rest of the community and participate in contests, even prizes. Unlike the PlayStore menu, AppGallery is more interactive and includes an Installation Manager that manages your downloaded .apk files.
Huawei AppGallery - Ten thousand applications, but with shortcomings
Huawei boasts almost ten thousand international applications, to which are added almost a thousand applications created by our Romanians. I can't contradict them here. The store has applications to put in your head. From obscure programs to games, fitness programs, maps, catering, dating applications, even a suite for adults. In fact, the selection is so vast that I'm not able to tell if all this has been done or will ever take place on the Google Play Store.
BUT (with caps lock, because it's a serious matter) this avalanche of applications has a big bug! And no, I don't think I'm missing a stab. I mean, you can find Snapchat, TikTok and Telegram in Huawei AppGallery, but not Facebook and Instagram? Do you find Uber, Bolt, Food Panda and all kinds of streaming programs, but not Netflix and Glovo? Not even WhatsApp ?!
Of course, there's that More Apps (the suite of apps that can't be found directly in AppGallery and can be downloaded from AppGallery), there's Petal Search, and of course other third-party stores, which are enough tools so you can eventually install anything are you interested. BUT I am referring here strictly to their absence from the AppGallery, where naturally they should have been, and not to the detours.
Am I blind ?!
To make sure I didn't go blind prematurely, I checked several times. For the first time, you might think that the applications you are looking for are missing because they are already installed on your phone through another store. Not so, and the proof is simple. I was looking for some apps that I already had installed, but which are also included in the AppGallery. For example, the search found my Food Panda, and even gave me the option to start or uninstall the application.
Therefore, some of the most common and used applications do not actually exist in the Huawei store. All you can do is access the Wishlist option and go to the application you want Santa to put on AppGallery. And I'm not kidding
AppGallery also washes away the fact that it includes important banking applications (BRD, Banca Transilvania, ING HomeBank, etc.), but also applications for managing telecommunications services (MyVodafone, Telekom), news and shopping. The list is not exhaustive, as many of the ones I did not mention are under the heading "coming soon". So, if you are unlucky enough to be a customer of a bank or service whose applications do not exist (at least for now) on the Huawei store, know that… that's it, patience is a virtue.
Huawei AppGallery - Competition?
I could say that the world of Android smartphone owners is divided into two: those who spend their time on the Play Store and steal a game or two from third-party stores, and those who make use of the ecosystem created by Huawei.
From my perspective, the chances of an app missing from the Play Store are much lower compared to AppGallery. The advantage is that you can download lesser known or unavailable applications in Romania from third-party stores and keep your most important and most used programs in the Google store list.
I like Huawei products, but I wouldn't say I'm a fan of the ecosystem introduced by Petal Search and AppGallery. And obviously you would like more on their high-performance smartphones, with sets of cameras that I fell in love with… The Chinese manufacturer's store has not yet managed to convince me, but who knows, they all have a beginning and with surely he will evolve over time. You can't help but admit that it's not easy to compete with the largest such app store in the world.
The idea here is that if you can have both. Simple and without too many hassles. After all, Samsung has not put its fingernail in its neck as it coexists with its Play Store and Galaxy Store phones, and older Huawei models work very well in this mode.
Conclusion
Huawei AppGallery promises a lot. But it still has to work to offer the same services as those on the Play Store, if we talk about licensed stores. With a better list, better defined categories and a more airy interface, it could eventually become a good alternative.
Below is the press release:
"The HUAWEI AppGallery ecosystem, one click away from all Android users
Good news for all Android smartphone users. They can personalize their personal phone with the HUAWEI AppGallery app store and enjoy free access to tens of thousands of local and international apps starting December 1st.
The HUAWEI AppGallery ecosystem is now open to all Android users, giving them quick access to all the apps they need in their daily activities. The virtual app store can be installed on all Android devices by accessing appgallery.huawei.com and using the AppGallery download button or by clicking on the following link: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C27162.
"Since the launch of the online store, one of the main goals we have set ourselves has been to offer all Android users the important benefits of HUAWEI AppGallery's own store. Now, a year after its launch, we are pleased to announce that the HUAWEI AppGallery ecosystem is just a click away from users, regardless of the brand of personal Android phone, ”said Ciprian Mirea, Director of Ecosystem and Head of Trade Marketing. , Huawei Consumer Business Group Romania.
HUAWEI AppGallery comes equipped with over 1,000 local applications and tens of thousands of global applications. The main categories of applications present in HUAWEI AppGallery are: Finance, Gaming, News, Shopping, Entertainment and Education. In addition, the virtual store comes with complete security and protection, including verification of the real name of the developer and the four-step review process for the secure operation of the user experience.
In addition to accessing the popular applications available in the virtual store, other important benefits offered to all Android users are the opportunity to participate in regular competitions launched in the virtual store and, implicitly, the opportunity to win the attractive prizes at stake. Between September 2019 and September 2020, the campaigns carried out in the HUAWEI AppGallery registered a number of over 25,000 winners and prizes worth approximately 1,500,000 euros.
The applications that recorded the highest number of downloads during the campaigns are: mobilPay Wallet, Learn33 Languages Free-Mondly, CyberGhost VPN, Jerry's Pizza, eJobs.ro, ProTV News, Tinder, TIDAL, AntenaPlay, Card Sodexo Romania and George
In total, AppGallery contains over 1,000 Romanian applications and tens of thousands of international applications. HUAWEI AppGallery already includes in its portfolio applications in the banking area, including Banca Transilvania, BCR, Pago, Orange Money, BRD, Card Sodexo, MobilPay or 24Pay. App Gallery also contains important news and entertainment applications, such as Cinemagia, PRO TV News, Digi 24, Biziday, AntenaPlay, Orange TV Go, Telekom TV or Digi Online. Also on the platform are available numerous applications dedicated to shopping, such as Lajumate.ro, Olx.ro, Elefant.ro, Cel.ro, Dedeman or Okazii.ro, but also utility applications, including eJobs, BitDefender, Star Taxi, 7Card, Virtual Cards, Upfit Romania or WorldClass. Applications from local operators such as My Orange Romania, My Account Telekom or My Vodafone Romania are also available in the AppGallery. Newer apps that have joined AppGallery include Jerry's Pizza, Food Panda, MyEnel, MyEdenred, Neo BT, EuropaFM, Bolt and Raiffeisen Smart Mobile.
Phone Clone, available in HUAWEI AppGallery, is an easy way to transfer apps, contacts, data, files, and photos from your old smartphone to your new smartphone in a few easy steps, using super-fast transfer speeds of up to 1 GB per minute. The most important aspect of the whole process is the security it offers, thanks to the secure encryption of the wireless network. The process can be done very easily, regardless of the operating system of the old smartphone (iOS or Android).
The new Petal Search tool, available in HUAWEI AppGallery, gives users an open gateway to a million apps and a way to easily search through various categories, right from the home screen of your device. Developed by Petal Search, Petal Search brings an alternative search experience that locates and aggregates information, providing the most accurate and relevant results, to allow users to customize and manage their smartphone experience as they see fit. I want."
TaguriHuawei