GMS, the full name is Google Mobile Service, translated as Google Mobile Service. HMS, the full name of Huawei Mobile Services, refers to Huawei Mobile Services.
HMS is currently considered as a substitute for GMS, but strictly speaking, the two are in a competitive relationship. The reason is mainly related to the disharmony of Sino-US relations. Google is currently prohibited from cooperating with Huawei on any new devices, so any new Huawei devices launched after May 16, 2019 will not be authorized by Google. For this reason, Huawei used HMS, which it had previously paid a lot of money for but kept well hidden, to replace GMS.
If after May 16, 2019, the hardware and software of Huawei's mobile phones are exactly the same as before, then these Huawei smart phones may become touch-enabled phones for the elderly. Therefore, the software developers who are interested in the big cake of Huawei mobile phone users, the question before them is: How does GMS software transfer to HMS?
Strictly speaking, GMS is not equivalent to Google Play. It can only be said that GMS includes Google Play. Because GMS consists of conventional user-oriented applications, such as Google App, Play Store, Chrome, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, photos, etc.; and APKs for core background services, such as GoogleOneTimeInitializer, SetupWizard, GooglePackageInstaller, GMSCore, etc. And GMS Core is what developers usually call Google Play.
GMS and Android are not in the "equal" relationship as many people imagine. Android is a mobile operating system based on the Linux kernel and other open source software, mainly designed for touch screen mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers. Its source code is called the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and is mainly licensed under the Apache License.
Due to the existence of AOSP, Android can be classified as an "open source" operating system (as opposed to Apple's non-open source iOS system), but most people in the world have never really experienced the purest AOSP. Currently, most Android devices come with other proprietary software pre-installed, such as GMS.
But GMS (including Google Play Services) pre-installed on Android devices requires permission. Almost all major applications rely on many core functions of the Play service and its API, so although Android is open source, Google still retains full control of its Android ecosystem.
Huawei's current situation is that the GMS license cannot be obtained and the API will be lost. As an Android user, you may not be able to use Android without Google. The HMS, which Huawei had previously quietly engaged, was forced to be in danger, preloaded on its own Android phone. The
phone is still that Android phone, but the pre-loaded thing has changed from Google’s to Huawei’s own. For developers, the problem of joining the HMS ecosystem is mainly whether the services provided by Huawei are considerate. In this regard, Huawei said that if an application is already in the Google Play store, it will take less than ten minutes to port the same application to HMS.
HMS, like GMS, consists of user-oriented applications and core background services. The HMS ecosystem includes HMS applications, HMS core, and core HMS functions enabled through available APIs. HMS Core on
Android is essentially a tool for Huawei to replace Google Play Services. Software developers previously used GMS software, in fact, most of them refer to software based on the API provided by GMS Core (Google Play) in GMS. Now I want to switch to HMS, which actually means that the software is developed based on the new API provided by HMS Core in HMS. In many cases, you only need to change the software.Interface is fine.
Therefore, HMS Core only needs to provide developers with APIs similar to GMS Core to help developers easily migrate from GMS Core.
For developers who build applications from scratch, they can use the APIs in HMS more deeply to enable in-app purchases, advertising, location, and login services. HMS also provides application analysis to developers to understand how people use the application.
Currently, HMS Core provides developers with the following APIs:
Account Kit, similar to Google Play’s Sign-In.
Location Kit, similar to Google Play's Fused Location Provider.
Map Kit, similar to the Maps SDK of Google Play.
Drive Kit, similar to Google Drive REST API of Google Play.
Game Service, similar to Google Play Games.
Push Kit is similar to Firebase Cloud Messaging of Google Play, and
Analytics Kit is similar to Firebase Analytics of Google Play.
In-App Purchases (In-App Purchases), HMS Core's in-app purchases are equivalent to Google Play in-app billing. For application developers, it may be the most important of all APIs.
Advertising Kit (Ads Kit) is similar to Google Play's Google AdMob.
Huawei's HMS Core is an arduous attempt by Huawei, showing their perseverance in maintaining the competitive advantage of the smartphone software and hardware ecosystem. Without the support of Google, most other Android OEMs would go bankrupt. Because even giants such as Amazon and Samsung want to provide such a powerful alternative API set to spend money to cry. These APIs can actually provide similar functions for developers and users.
HMS Core turned out to be Huawei’s secret weapon, but when the company really needed it, it went from behind the scenes to the front. HMS Core is still the solution that developers must use when they want to retain Huawei users. Therefore, whether you are an application developer, a Huawei user, or an ordinary reader, the only question you need to face is: Are you ready to adapt to the future?
