Huawei, the Chinese tech titan, has unveiled HarmonyOS 2.0 for Huawei smartphones, and Android may now have a major competition. HarmonyOS is a global operating system that supports cross-device communication and boasts a slew of performance and security capabilities.
Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about Huawei’s newest operating system and what it could imply for the future.
What is HarmonyOS?
In China, HarmonyOS, also known as HongmengOS, is Huawei’s in-house operating system that has been in development since 2012.
Huawei is no longer only a phone producer; it is also one of the world’s leading telecoms firms. As a result, an operating system that unifies all of its gadgets, such as smart home equipment, TVs, wearables, tablets, and phones, would be quite useful.
In 2019, the US government imposed penalties on Chinese technology businesses, resulting in Huawei devices losing access to critical US software services such as those provided by Google.
In retaliation, Huawei hastened the development of their native operating system and released HarmonyOS 2.0, an operating system designed to unite their devices and provide cross-functional capabilities without the requirement for those other services.
2. When Will HarmonyOS Be Released?
HarmonyOS was originally introduced in 2019 for a limited number of devices, namely smart TVs, IoT devices, in-car entertainment systems, and others.
Huawei announced HarmonyOS 2.0 during the Huawei Developer Conference in 2020, with plans to bring it out in 2021.
It was later formally unveiled in June 2021 alongside the new Huawei smartphone and wristwatch products.
3. Which Phones Have HarmonyOS?
Huawei has currently announced HarmonyOS 2.0 support for devices with up to 4GB of RAM. We may expect HarmonyOS 2.0 to be compatible with smartphones with more than 4GB RAM by the end of 2021, paving the path for more smartphone manufacturers to choose Harmony OS 2.0 instead of Android.
While we wait for more information on all of the devices that will run the operating system, Huawei smartphones such as the Mate 40, P40, Mate 30, and others will receive HarmonyOS 2.0 upgrades automatically.
4. How to Get HarmonyOS
If you have a Huawei smartphone that is compatible, you can download Harmony-OS 2.0 via the My Huawei app. You can then follow the on-screen directions to download the Harmony-OS 2.0 upgrade, albeit this is not an easy process.
The software is not available for handsets that are not officially supported, as well as phones from other manufacturers.
5. Can HarmonyOS Run Android Apps?
This is an important topic to cover, and it is frequently the first thing that comes to mind when considering a new smartphone operating system.
According to confirmed Huawei claims, Harmony-OS will let users to continue using Android apps while both downloading and running Harmony-OS apps. However, because Google owns the Play Store, it will not be able to use it. Over 134,000 apps are available on Harmony, and over four million developers have signed up to distribute programs on the network.
