HUAWEI barred from SD Association: What's that mean for its phones and microSD cards? (Updated)

Update: May 29, 2019 at 9:24 a.m. ET: A HUAWEI representative confirmed to Android Authority that the company has been re-added to the SD Association’s membership list. Read more here.

Original article: May 24, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. ET: Just when things couldn’t get worse for HUAWEI, SumahoInfo reports that the SD Association currently has the company de-listed on its website.

The SD Association is a non-profit organization that sets the standards for SD and microSD cards. According to the organization’s FAQ page, members are involved in the design, development, or manufacturing of products that use the SD standards. Those products also include smartphones and similar devices that support SD and microSD cards.

As such, companies that aren’t on the SD Association’s list of members can’t officially produce and sell devices with SD card support that use the SD standards. According to SumahoInfo, the member page showed HUAWEI a few weeks ago, but no longer lists the firm this week.

In a statement sent to Android Authority, the SD Association confirmed it is complying with the recent order from the U.S. Department of Commerce that put HUAWEI on the Entity List.

Android Authority also reached out to HUAWEI for comment and a spokesperson said microSD cards will still work in its phones. Company representatives declined to comment when asked whether future phones would be affected by the move.

The use of SD cards on HUAWEI smartphone won’t be affected. Consumers can continue purchasing and using these products.

The announcement comes at a bad time for HUAWEI as it struggles with recent restrictions imposed on it by the U.S. government. HUAWEI has said it’s working closely with Google on a potential solution. The company also talked about an Android alternative it is developing, though its status is in question.

NEXT: At least one key tech company says it can still do business with HUAWEI