Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei is reportedly testing a new email service as it expands its suite of software that mirrors equivalents found on Android.

The recent US sanctions have given Huawei the perfect excuse to build its own alternative mobile ecosystem, akin to Android, complete with its own mobile operating system, Harmony OS.

According to reports, Huawei is now taking registrations and soliciting feedback on its new email service, dubbed Petal Mail.

Gmail alternative

Petal mail is the latest addition to Huawei's steadily growing selection of software and services. The US trade sanctions prevent the smartphone giant from giving its users the complete Android experience. To overcome this limitation, the company has been working to replace the Android apps with homebrewed equivalents.

Reportedly, the company has already launched replacements for Google Mobile Services (called Huawei Mobile Services), as well as alternatives to the Play Store (AppGallery) and Google Maps (Petal Maps). Notably, the firm has applied for a handful of other Petal-prefixed trademarks too.

There aren't very many details available about Petal Mail, though the service is reportedly in the early stages of rollout, as suggested by screenshots showing a very minimal two-column interface.

Interestingly, Huawei has also released a new virtual currency called Petals. While the company's intentions behind the new currency are unclear, it is currently valued at CNY0.01 (~$0.0015).

Via XDA-Developers