After the US embargo, Huawei lost its license on the Android operating system. After this loss, the Chinese company developed its own operating system, HarmonyOS. According to the latest statements, Huawei is preparing to introduce users this year with the new version of HarmonyOS, 'HarmonyOS Next'. The launch, likely to take place in September, marks the beginning of wide-scale deployment of the system.
As it is known, previous versions of Huawei had support for installing Android applications in APK format. However, this support will end with HarmonyOS Next. In other words, Huawei will now have complete independence from Android applications. Underlining this independence, Huawei official Zhu Yonggang states that there are currently many HarmonyOS applications and more than 200 industry partners have developed special applications for HarmonyOS. Additionally, the company has a goal of adding 5,000 partners by the end of 2024.
HarmonyOS, which was criticized for its similarity to the Android operating system, was sometimes described as an “Android clone”. However, Huawei constantly denies these claims. Emphasizing that the architecture of HarmonyOS is designed to run on multiple devices, unlike Android and iOS, Mr. Wang Chenglu argues that HarmonyOS is a unique operating system in its own right.
In particular, the use of open source components developed for the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) as the basis of Huawei's operating system caused HarmonyOS to be referred to as an Android clone. However, Mr. Wang and his team emphasize the originality of HarmonyOS, stating that the Android operating system does not contain all the codes developed by Google, and some parts come from the open source community.
With HarmonyOS Next, Huawei aims to differentiate clearly from other operating systems on the market and lead in the field of technology. Prioritizing advanced technology and independence, Huawei aims to open a new page in the world of mobile technology with this innovative step. With the release of HarmonyOS Next, users and developers will have the opportunity to enjoy a unique experience in an ecosystem completely independent of the Android system. However, we expect the change in question to be valid for China in the first place, and especially in countries like Turkey, we expect smartphones to come loaded with EMUI.