More than 900 million devices now run HarmonyOS

Huawei outperforms iOS and is the second best-selling mobile operating system in the country

Huawei Technologies Co said on Friday that more than 900 million devices in China, including its own branded products as well as third-party devices, now run on its HarmonyOS operating system.

HarmonyOS has overtaken Apple’s iOS to become the second best-selling mobile operating system in China in the first quarter of 2024, according to research firm Counterpoint.

Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, which includes smartphones, desktop computers and other Internet of Things devices, said at the opening of a three-day developer conference in Dongguan, Guangdong province, that Harmony has made huge breakthroughs.

“You could say that in the (last) 10 years we have achieved what took our European and American counterparts over 30 years in terms of building the core technology of an independent operating system,” Yu said.

Yu further said that HarmonyOS NEXT, a fully self-developed version of the operating system, began testing among software developers on Friday.

Huawei said its commercial launch is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

Yu also highlighted the rapid development and solid viability of the Harmony ecosystem, noting that HarmonyOS native applications are entering a critical acceleration phase.

“To date, 5,000 of the most popular mobile apps have joined the Harmony ecosystem, and over 1,500 apps are now available for download online. The development of HarmonyOS native applications in various sectors continues, constantly bringing new energy to the ecosystem,” Yu said.

According to him, the Harmony ecosystem has attracted over 2.54 million software developers. Evolving through four generations, Harmony-OS continues to deliver innovative experiences to billions of consumers.

HarmonyOS was first unveiled as an alternative to Android in August 2019, three months after the US government added Huawei to its entity list, restricting the Chinese company’s access to key US technologies.

Since then, Huawei has been working hard to push for wider adoption of HarmonyOS. HarmonyOS had a 17 percent market share in China as more local consumers bought Huawei smartphones, closely followed by iOS with a 16 percent market share, according to Counterpoint data.

Experts say Friday’s launch marks a milestone in Huawei’s progress in building a robust software ecosystem in China.

Xiang Ligang, CEO of the Information Consumption Alliance, a telecommunications industry association, said HarmonyOS NEXT is of great importance to China’s operating system industry, which has long been dominated by foreign companies.

“It is thanks to its painstaking efforts that Huawei has managed to revitalize its consumer-oriented business, once paralyzed by restrictions imposed by the US government. “Huawei’s progress in developing its own operating system and its return to the 5G smartphone industry coincides with a period in which artificial intelligence smartphones are expected to usher in a new round of growth,” Xiang said.

As AI applications find their way into all corners of the device market, smartphones are expected to bring the AI ​​revolution to every home, according to a report by international consulting firm International Data Corp.

IDC’s initial forecast suggests that 170 million next-generation AI-enabled smartphones will be shipped in 2024, representing nearly 15 percent of total smartphone shipments and a significant jump from the approximately 51 million AI-enabled smartphones shipped in 2023.

Dai Wei, deputy secretary general of the Internet Society of China, urged Chinese Internet enterprises and every link in the industry chain to adopt and support the HarmonyOS ecosystem.

Zhou Hongyi, founder and president of Chinese cybersecurity company 360 Security Group, said many of the company’s high-quality apps have joined the HarmonyOS ecosystem, providing users with a smoother, smarter and more secure user experience.