Huawei Harmony: why the Chinese firm is launching an Android rival
New operating system will be ‘faster and safer’ than Google’s software, but won’t appear on smartphones immediately
![Harmony OS](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/558wjGFyRde4fhNLDygej4-415-80.jpg)
Huawei has confirmed that it is developing its own smartphone operating system as the company begins to distance itself from Google’s Android software.
Announced at its developer conference in Dongguan, China, the new operating system will be used not only to power Huawei’s broad range of smartphones, but also other connected devices such as wearable tech and in-car infotainment systems.
Richard Yu, head of Huawei’s consumer business group, told attendees at the conference that Harmony, known as Hongmeng in China, is “completely different from Android and iOS”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At first, the BBC says, Huawei will launch the operating system on smaller devices, such as connected speakers and smartwatches, for customers in the Greater China region.
Why is Huawei making its own Android rival?
Although Huawei has been successfully using Android operating systems since 2009, today’s announcement comes as little surprise.
In May, Google was forced to block Huawei’s use of the software after the US government placed the Chinese firm on the so-called Entity List, which contains nations that are deemed to pose a potential threat to America’s IT infrastructure.
Huawei being on the list means it is barred from buying technology from American companies without approval from the US government, says The Verge.
While Huawei is still able to use the Android operating system to power its smartphones, certain features, such as Google Maps and YouTube, will be blocked on future devices.
It has therefore developed its own operating system as a contingency plan in case the company’s access to Android is blocked completely.
However, it’s believed that Harmony has been in development “for a number of years”, The Daily Telegraph says, suggesting that Huawei had intended to create its own software ecosystem prior to its run-in with the US government earlier this year.
How is it different to Android?
Little is known about the Harmony system as the company has yet to announce when the software will launch on smartphones.
What is known, however, is that Harmony will mirror Android by taking the form of an open-source operating system, meaning third-party companies “can take the code and use it however they want”, the BBC reports.
Huawei has also said that Harmony will let developers create one version of their app, before “flexibly” deploying it “across a range of different devices”, the broadcaster adds.
At the conference, Yu claimed that Harmony would be “faster and safer” than the Android system, Engadget reports.
Huawei, however, intends to stick with Google’s software on its smartphones for the time being, the tech site says. But Yu insisted that the company could switch its phones over to the new system “at any time” in the event of its Android licence being revoked completely.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Nasa's 'strangest find': pure sulphur on Mars
Under the Radar Curiosity rover discovers elemental sulphur rocks, adding to 'growing evidence' of life-sustaining elements on Red Planet
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Bodycam shows deputy killing Black woman
Speed Read An Illinois deputy fatally shot Sonya Massey, who had called 911 about suspected trespassers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Spare us the charade'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Why is the tech industry up in arms about Google's search algorithm leak?
Today's Big Question A leak of about 2,500 documents shed light on how Google's search engine operates, and not everyone is happy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How AI is going to change the Google search experience
Talking Points Summaries are the new links
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Google unveils 'AI overviews' atop search results
Speed Read Users of the search engine in the US will now get AI-generated answers first
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Perplexity AI: has Google finally met its match?
In The Spotlight Generative AI start-up provides fast, Wikipedia-like responses to search queries
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Artificial history
Opinion Google's AI tailored the past to fit modern mores, but only succeeded in erasing real historical crimes
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Why Google search results have 'gotten worse'
Under The Radar Search engines are 'flooded' with 'garbage' content, say experts
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published