Huawei’s In-House Harmony OS to Replace Android App Support
China’s Huawei Technologies won’t support Android apps on the latest iteration of its in-house Harmony operating system, domestic financial media Caixin reports, as the company looks to strengthen its own software ecosystem.
The company plans to release a developer version of its HarmonyOS Next platform in the second quarter of this year and a full commercial version in the fourth quarter, it said in a company statement highlighting the platform’s launch event in its hometown. Shenzhen on Thursday.
Huawei first announced its proprietary Harmony system in 2019 and prepared to release it on some smartphones a year later after US restrictions prevented it from accessing Google’s technical support for its Android mobile operating system.
However, previous versions of Harmony allowed apps built for Android to run on the system, which is no longer possible, according to Caixin.
Huawei did not respond to a request for comment.
Last August, Huawei unexpectedly launched its Mate60 smartphone series, which is believed to be powered by a domestically developed chipset.
The launch was widely seen as a sign of Huawei’s return to the high-end smartphone market after years of struggling under US sanctions.
According to an internal message last month, the company expects 2023 revenue to exceed 700 billion yuan ($97.3 billion), representing 9 percent annual growth.
