Huawei, Tencent argue over user data

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China’s leading smartphone maker Huawei Technologies Co and Internet titan Tencent Holdings Ltd clashed over the usage of phone users’ data, business news website caixin.com reported on Saturday.

Huawei promotes its artificial intelligence-based service while Tencent’s WeChat is the widely used instant messaging app in China.

Magic Live, a new service Huawei launched at the end of 2016 on its Huawei Honor Magic smartphone, sends restaurants and film suggestions based on a user’s text messages.

The two companies have wrestled when Magic Live works on WeChat, the report said, noting the two sides are in a discussion that if the experimental service that Huawei offers to part of its smartphone users can be utilized on WeChat.

The data obtained by Huawei’s Magic Live has been authorized by users through phone’s settings, according to Huawei’s reply to Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

The Magic Live’s suggestion function is based on Huawei’s cooperation with apps which provide a broad range of services, such as payment, ride-hailing and ticket booking, 21st Century Business Herald newspaper reported Saturday.

However, Huawei is in “a difficult communication” with WeChat, and the two sides have not reached a consensus, the report said, citing an anonymous insider from Huawei.

Tencent said it maintains good communication and cooperation with all phone makers, carriers and app developers to build a healthy ecosystem, according to Wall Street Journal.

Neither of the two companies claimed the ownership of WeChat users’ message data.