
Huawei on Friday unveiled its long-awaited self-developed operating system HarmonyOS on its smart television product, but it may not be an Android alternative as previously rumored.
Why it matters: HarmonyOS, also known as Hongmeng OS, was deemed to be Huawei’s alternative to Google’s Android after the Chinese firm was cut off from US technology.
The debut of the operating system was on Huawei’s TV set, but it is not yet available on smartphones.
The current version of the operating system, or the HarmonyOS 1.0, runs on the company’s TV product, which was released last month.
The future HarmonyOS will support a wide range of devices from personal computers to smartwatches, as well as virtual reality glasses, said Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei’s consumer business group, at the Huawei Developer Conference in Dongguan on Friday, without mentioning any plan to install it on smartphones.
It is a microkernel-based, distributed OS that delivers a smooth experience across all scenarios.”