Following the US government’s trade ban, Huawei and its sub-brand Honor are under immense pressure. The biggest concern is the inability to use Google Mobile Services (GMS). Without GMS, Huawei phones will miss out on Google’s useful apps including Maps, Photos, Drive and most importantly Google Play.

With the loss of the Google Play Store, it has become difficult for new buyers of Huawei and Honor devices to get the apps they need, even if they can be assured of receiving the Android 11 update. This means that getting new apps requires a different process. Fret not! We have compiled a list of ways that you can use to get the right functionality on your Huawei/Honor device, even if it doesn’t have Google Play.

Even before Huawei launched its own mobile services, it had the AppGallery as a replacement for Google’s Play Store. The AppGallery app comes pre-installed on Huawei phones with thousands of apps, with more coming soon as Huawei is busy adding a large number of Android apps to its AppGallery, investing $1 billion to hire 4,000 developers to fill the gap left by Google’s suite of apps.

Huawei’s AppGallery now offers parental control restrictions with age-appropriate content filtering, similar to that found on the Play Store. There’s a Quick App feature that offers apps without installation to save battery and space. The company’s official page notes that content changes depending on the user’s location, meaning European users will no longer be suggested apps popular in Asia. Additionally, if users own more than one Huawei device, they can use the same Huawei ID to access AppGallery across Huawei phones, tablets, smart displays, wearables, VR gadgets and more.