As a result of continued sanctions imposed by the U.S. China technology company Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is moving ahead with its plans to completely replace Google's Android operating system with its own proprietary software. The company said it is currently making preparations to switch the operating systems of all of its current and future smartphones to its own Harmony OS.
The head of Huawei's consumer business group Richard Yu Chengdong said at a developer conference Thursday that the company expected all of its products to sport its proprietary Harmony OS by next year. He added that the latest version of the operating system had already been rolled out to software developers worldwide.
By opening access to its operating system, Huawei has invited developers worldwide to create Harmony OS versions of their mobile apps. Harmony OS will be integrated with Huawei's already existing mobile service ecosystem. Around 1.8 million app developers worldwide are reportedly planning to release more than 96,000 apps on the platform.
After the U.S. added Huawei to its Entity List in May of last year, the China company was forced to consider other alternatives as it was effectively cut off from its U.S.-based suppliers. The ban forced Google to cut support to all of Huawei's products, essentially removing its Google Mobile Services ecosystem from all new Huawei smartphone models.
Google's Android operating system is currently being used by most smartphones sold worldwide. Apart from Apple, all other smartphone manufacturers use Google's operating system to power their devices. Without Google's support, Huawei embarked on a project to develop its own operating system. Given that it is currently the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world in terms of sales, the successful launch of its new operating system will be crucial for the company to retain its dominance.
Some analysts are skeptical over the success of Harmony OS given how most users have become accustomed to Google services such as YouTube and Google Maps. Researchers at IDC said Huawei will have an uphill battle ahead in terms of convincing developers to create new versions of their mobile apps - particularly for a platform with such as small user base.
