Huawei launched the latest version of its operating system, HarmonyOS. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer division stated in his keynote speech on Thursday that from next year their smartphones will have their operating system, HarmonyOS.
Originally launched last year, HarmonyOS serves as a replacement to Google Android
HarmonyOS was originally launched last year and this is the second version of the OS. It was rolled out after the company was put on the US Entity List, a blacklist that restricts some US companies from selling their products to the Chinese tech giant.
Huawei suffered another setback when Google suspended all business activities with the company. Hence, it was forced to release their smartphones without a licensed version of the Android operating system. Although it did not affect its services in China where Google is blocked, Huawei suffered a great deal in the international market.
HarmonyOS 2.0, the beta version of the operating system, open to all device makers
HarmonyOS is a mobile operating system that can work across different devices. Developers will create only one version of the app to port across multiple pieces of hardware. HarmonyOS 2.0, launched last Thursday is a beta version of the operating system, that is open to all developers. It is also open to Huawei’s competitors for their devices like smartwatches, TVs, and in-car head units from September 10 and for smartphones from December.
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The Vice President of IDC, Bryan Ma said that device manufacturers might be interested in HarmonyOS as a fall back option in case of a similar ban on using Google. He also said that they will explore their options but may not commit due to a lack of clarity on how the US policy might change later.
Huawei working towards building a user base in international markets
Huawei is working on building up its base as Google Android and Apple iOS continue to dominate the international markets. By opening HarmonyOS to other devices, the company hopes to get the operating system to as many devices as possible and increase its usability. It also stated that at present 96,000 are integrated with HMS, up from 60,000 in May. Also, they are currently 1.8 million developers on board, up from 1.4 million in May.
Experts previously expressed their doubts over the success of HarmonyOS since it does not have access to key apps such as Spotify or Netflix. Also, it is highly unlikely that Google will allow its apps to be added to Huawei’s software. Hence, it remains to be seen how well Huawei will do in the international markets.