Google could ban sale of all Android devices in Russia: What we know

Google recently stopped licensing Android for Russian smartphone manufacturers, and now is rumoured to be getting ready to impose a sales ban on Android smartphones of all brands in Russia.

According to a report by Eldar Murtazin on March 23, Google laboratories started refusing Russian companies for all certification projects. The company did so with the wording, “US Export Law prohibits the provision of services to Russia, and the export, re-export or transfer of US-origin software and technology to Russia.”

Smartphone manufacturers across the globe need to undergo mandatory licensing in Google Labs to run Android on their smartphones. Without the license, the sale of Android smartphones can potentially be stopped.

At the moment, Google is blocking Russian smartphone manufacturers, however, their share is negligible and the devices produced by them do not have that much demand. But, devices from global manufacturers being banned will put a big dent.

All of this at one point, Android is an open-source platform, which means access to Android cannot be designed, but Google can deprive manufacturers of its set of Google services, which has already been done with China’s Huawei.

We will get some clarity on the topic tomorrow, considering that the US Department of Commerce is set to announce restrictions for the Russian market and provide clarifications on smartphones for all companies. If the ban is to be implemented, then it will force all companies to stop the sale of their devices in the country.

Murtazin has said that if the ban is implemented then we will get to see massive growth of the grey market and activation of devices outside of Russia. The new rules may affect sales of phones under the brands BQ, DEXP, AYYA and more.

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