Google confirmed that due to a US government ban on sales to Huawei, it could not license its apps to the Chinese smartphone giant.

It also means the next Huawei phone will not have access to the Google Play app store, which could leave customers without access to other popular apps.

Analysts suggest Huawei will struggle to sell a phone without Google's apps.

Consumers expect to have access to all the major apps they are used to including Maps and YouTube. Without them, Huawei's phones will seem a lot less appealing.

And losing the Play Store means Huawei will need to provide another way for customers to access other popular apps such as Facebook, Twitter and BBC News.