Huawei unveiled HarmonyOS, the new operating system it has been working on for some time and which could be used instead of Android on its smartphones. The presentation took place during HDC2019, the meeting for developers that the company organized at its headquarters near Dongguan, in the Chinese province of Guandong, where it reproduced entire pieces of European cities and architecture. The new operating system – which in the Chinese version is called Hongmeng – can be used on numerous devices in addition to smartphones, such as smartwatches, televisions, car navigation systems and household items connected to the Internet.
It has long been known that Huawei was working on its own operating system, but interest in its development has focused in recent months, following the decision of the United States government to substantially ban the Chinese company in its territory. Google had to suspend the Android license provided to Huawei, leaving the latter in the difficult position of not being able to receive future updates of the most used smartphone operating system in the world. Huawei could develop its own version of Android independently, but this would lack numerous services offered by Google, and therefore less useful for users.
While the U.S. government is considering whether or not to keep the limitations it imposed in late May, Huawei is exploring alternatives to make sure it has a plan in case it can no longer use the Google-licensed version of Android. The development of HarmonyOS has therefore become very important to quickly offer an alternative and avoid losing customers.
During the presentation, Huawei executives explained that HarmonyOS will initially be made available to “smart products with a screen”, before being extended to other devices such as smartwatches. The definition is vague and Huawei has not provided other explanations, so it is not clear if smartphones are immediately included in the HarmonyOS offer.
In the coming months, Huawei will continue to supply a large part of its smartphones with Android, as it has been able to continue to do in recent months, both thanks to the smartphones it already had in stock and thanks to some concessions from the US government. HarmonyOS will mostly be tested in China, before becoming available in the West as well. At full capacity, HarmonyOS should be installed on both smartphones and other devices, allowing for a single software environment that is easier to manage.
For months, the United States government has accused Huawei of spying on behalf of the Chinese government, inserting systems into its devices that would allow them to spy on the activities of those who use them. To date, however, no convincing evidence has been provided regarding these allegations, which Huawei has always rejected. In recent weeks, Donald Trump's government has alluded to the possibility of easing the ban on the company, which would make licensing for Android more practical. HarmonyOS could therefore remain as a spare tire, to be used in the event that relations between the United States and China plunge into the so-called “trade war” between the two countries.
