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

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.

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.
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
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
Google's new AI Mode feature hints at the next era of search
In the Spotlight The search giant is going all in on AI, much to the chagrin of the rest of the web
-
Is Apple breaking up with Google?
Today's Big Question Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser. The emergence of artificial intelligence could change that.
-
Google ruled a monopoly over ad tech dominance
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the ruling as a 'landmark victory in the ongoing fight to stop Google from monopolizing the digital public square'
-
TikTok alternatives surge in popularity as app ban looms
The Explainer TikTok might be prohibited from app stores in the United States
-
Is 'AI slop' breaking the internet?
In The Spotlight 'Low-quality, inauthentic, or inaccurate' content is taking over social media and distorting search engine results
-
'Mind-boggling': how big a breakthrough is Google's latest quantum computing success?
Today's Big Question Questions remain over when and how quantum computing can have real-world applications
-
DOJ seeks breakup of Google, Chrome
Speed Read The Justice Department aims to force Google to sell off Chrome and make other changes to rectify its illegal search monopoly
-
Google Maps gets an AI upgrade to compete with Apple
Under the Radar The Google-owned Waze, a navigation app, will be getting similar upgrades