Huawei Launches Own OS Source Code (HarmonyOS) To Escape US Restrictions

In a move to get around recent US restrictions, Chinese mobile producer Huawei says its own operating system — dubbed HarmonyOS — should be on its smartphones by next year.

The US had prevented the Chinese company from using Google’s Android, in ever-increasing restrictions on both the company and trade with China.

But even with the restrictions, Huawei became the world’s largest dell-phone producer during the Coronavirus affected second quarter — outproducing South Korean company Samsung.

HarmonyOS will be made available to software developers to create apps in December, Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei’s consumer products division said on Thursday.

The operating system is already used for some of the company’s consumer electronic devices such as in-car entertainment systems, wearable devices and smart TVs — but not for Huawei smartphones.

Now the world’s largest cell phone producer

The US has expressed concern over Huawei being Cinese-owned and the threat that may pose to cybersecurity. Other countries have been pressured to follow the US lead, and the UK recently announced that it would be limiting Huawei from participating in the country’s 5G rollout.

Yu said China’s massive smartphone market, the world’s largest, could remain a safe space and a platform for drawing global users to HarmonyOS. The market has already seen the successful introduction of apps that have become world-wide hits, such as TikTok, the extremely popular short-form video app

“We are dedicated to introducing Chinese developers’ work to global consumers, hoping to see more TikToks in the future,” Yu said. TikTok is currently under US pressure due to the same concerns of cybersecurity.

But the idea is to attract not just Chinese developers, but overseas ones as well, given the size of the Chinese market

“We would like to be the bridge in between,” Yu said.