Recently, Huawei, a controversial company in the international community, has launched the latest native Harmony operating system, attracting widespread attention. People are once again questioning its claims of autonomy, security, and commercial viability. What secrets lie behind Huawei’s Harmony operating system?
On October 22, Huawei released the native Harmony operating system (HarmonyOS NEXT), which is the fifth version of the system since 2019.
Huawei’s Executive Director, Yu Chengdong, stated that the newly released Harmony system achieves full self-developed system framework, also known as “Pure Harmony.” The previous Harmony system still used some AOSP open-source code and was compatible with some Android applications.
Yu Chengdong also mentioned that Harmony has taken the top two spots in the Chinese operating system market, with over 1 billion devices running the Harmony operating system.
Chinese state media CCTV described the new Harmony system as “another landmark achievement breaking the constraints of ‘lacking core, short of soul’ and the technological monopoly of Europe and America.”
In May 2019, after Google announced the revocation of Huawei’s Android license (only allowing the use of open-source Android code), Huawei introduced the original version of HarmonyOS. In 2020, Huawei released the second version of HarmonyOS. Yu Chengdong also told the media at the time that HarmonyOS is “completely different from Android and iOS.” Huawei’s Consumer Software President, Wang Chenglu, also stated, “HarmonyOS is not a copy of Android or iOS.”
Although Huawei officially claims full autonomy, the opinions of technical experts differ.
In 2021, after technical analysis, the American tech media Ars Technica stated that HarmonyOS is “Any actual released code, when magnified, looks the same as the unchanged Android” and “Essentially a branch of Android.”
A former back-end development engineer at an internet company, Niu Baoshu, told media outlets that the original HarmonyOS was actually just a skin change of Android, changing the user interface of the Android operating system and naming it HarmonyOS.
He further explained, “Gradually, the bottom layer was hollowed out, and finally achieved the original HarmonyOS. The original HarmonyOS means that the bottom layer of Android is no longer used, including AOSP, and it is not compatible with Android applications.” He said, “Developing an independent operating system is not as difficult as imagined, as it is built up using other open-source software. What’s challenging is constructing the ecosystem of the operating system.”
Niu Baoshu stated that the claim of over 1 billion devices running HarmonyOS is exaggerated. He believed that even with the broadest statistics, including all the phones, watches, and tablets Huawei has sold historically, they won’t reach 1 billion devices.
According to industry insiders in mainland China, Huawei’s HarmonyOS system actually comes in three forms: HarmonyOS for mobile phones, embedded HarmonyOS mainly used for appliances, and TEE secure HarmonyOS for handling sensitive information. Chinese media reports show that in 2020, devices from companies like Midea, Joyoung, Boss Electric, and Haier Technology were equipped with HarmonyOS, and in 2021, HarmonyOS is expected to cover over 40 mainstream brands with over 100 million devices.
Niu Baoshu mentioned that Huawei has intentionally sought to confuse what HarmonyOS is, making it challenging for ordinary people to distinguish. The significance of HarmonyOS on home appliances is limited, as people are not concerned about the system running on household appliances.
“The only significant aspect of HarmonyOS is the installation volume of pure HarmonyOS on mobile phones and tablets. Only when the installation volume of pure HarmonyOS on mobile phones and tablets is large enough will developers come to develop applications, thus constructing an ecosystem.”
While there are billions of smartphones worldwide, there are only two dominant operating systems: Android and Apple’s iOS. Attempts by Microsoft, Firefox, Amazon, Samsung, and Ubuntu Touch to enter the mobile market have all ended in failure.
Historians of technology say that launching a new mobile operating system is foolish. Apple and Android have control over all applications, hardware, and the market, squeezing out the road of innovation together.
Niu Baoshu stated that launching HarmonyOS is not only a foolish move from a business perspective but in every sense. If taken from a technical and business perspective, developing an operating system should focus on areas like VR (Apple Vision). VR is still a competitive field. “Why launch this operating system then? It’s primarily due to the Chinese Communist Party’s preparation in case foreign technologies are blocked, preventing their use. It’s more of a ‘Plan B,’ not driven by commercial or technical considerations.”
He said, “The logic behind it is similar to the Loongson processor, to avoid being restricted in case of sanctions. It is essentially a product pushed forward by the government at all costs without considering the price.”
Huawei’s HarmonyOS system has received strong support from local government and state-owned enterprises in China. In March of this year, the Shenzhen Municipal Government issued the “Shenzhen Municipal Action Plan for Supporting the Development of Native HarmonyOS Applications in 2024.” Similar initiatives have been taken in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong Province, where native HarmonyOS provincial government applications like “iShenzhen,” “Xiangyi Office,” and “Love Shandong” have been launched.
The reason why the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises support HarmonyOS is related to China’s national “innovation-driven development strategy” to eliminate U.S. technology products. The program aims to achieve independent control, replacing foreign products with domestic alternatives, signaling a shift away from reliance on foreign technologies. However, Chinese media have acknowledged that domestic innovative products still face significant challenges.
Experts in China indicate that the native HarmonyOS is a continuation of domestic innovation in the mobile phone field under government support. Considering that domestic operating systems like Kirin and Tongxin are not mature enough, HarmonyOS has the potential to challenge and become a mainstream PC operating system.
A senior engineer at a Silicon Valley communications network, Zhong Shan, mentioned that Huawei has been preparing for this for a long time, as the Chinese government has given it such a long time, cost, and social resources to carry out this project. It is a grand strategy, driven by a concept called “digital sovereignty,” with deeper implications concerning US-China tensions.
“China has always been wary of AI, big data, and cloud services, wanting to control them themselves, starting from the root. For example, with Alibaba Cloud and Huawei Cloud, and replacing the Android operating system.”
He added, “The question is not whether HarmonyOS is difficult to create or not, but whether its ecosystem is viable. Huawei has put so much effort into this field; its intentions are definitely not solely for commercial gain.”
Huawei’s native HarmonyOS system will face challenges in the global market, including competition from Apple’s iOS and Android’s dominance, security issues, and ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Although Huawei claims that the new operating system natively supports 15,000 applications, it still lags behind Android and Apple’s iOS, which support millions of applications.
Developers also need to completely rewrite applications to run on Huawei’s HarmonyOS system. But because Huawei has a small market share outside of China, app vendors have little incentive to make these changes, and customers may choose other brands instead.
Compared to Android, Niu Baoshu pointed out that HarmonyOS has no advantage. No one would develop and operate applications for it. When Microsoft introduced the Windows Phone operating system with a 1% market share, even Android did not bother providing adaptations for it.
He further explained, “Although HarmonyOS is available, it is impossible to build an ecosystem around it. The market share of pure HarmonyOS is only a tiny fraction. No one develops applications for it. From a commercial standpoint, developing an Android application would not adapt it for HarmonyOS. But due to government support, state-backed organizations like Kingsoft WPS, WeChat, and Alipay may be forcefully encouraged to adapt.”
Niu Baoshu expressed that HarmonyOS will remain a niche operating system even after five years. Only the government and state-owned enterprises may procure it, with the general public unlikely to use it, much like the current market share of the Loongson processor. Only those with non-commercial motives, such as the government or test evaluators, may buy and test a Loongson device.
Zhong Shan noted that in an unfree economic environment, pushing for the HarmonyOS ecosystem can only be achieved through government intervention. “In the past, there was Green Dam Youth Escort, and in recent years, mandatory installation of anti-fraud software, the mandatory installation of health codes for travel, and in the future, passing the ‘Study Strong Country’ exam will be required to find a job.”
The early versions of HarmonyOS were compatible with Android systems, but the new generation of pure HarmonyOS has adopted a closed strategy, making it the world’s operating system closest to excluding U.S. technology. This further highlights the ongoing split in international standards on software and hardware introduced by China over 20 years ago, when Beijing first attempted to construct a “Great Firewall.”
Huawei’s smartphones have become tools for Chinese surveillance. In June 2021, a Chinese internet user mentioned that after upgrading to HarmonyOS 2.0, Huawei smartphones would effectively detect and prompt the removal of apps such as VPNs, signaling possible government interference.
Zhong Shan emphasized that Huawei’s HarmonyOS will undoubtedly be used for surveillance purposes, serving as a preemptive tool to analyze data packets. Huawei’s input method, gallery app, and smart disks allow for pre-monitoring, as the phone’s computational power permits analyzing activity even before it is sent to the network.
He advised that domestic consumers refrain from purchasing HarmonyOS devices or Chinese-made devices. Instead, he suggested spending a little more to buy overseas devices or flashing overseas operating systems onto domestic devices.
Niu Baoshu stated that those concerned about security would not use the HarmonyOS system. Hardware equipment from Huawei, including its 5G base stations, switches, routers, are prohibited in the U.S., EU, and the UK.
“If you install Huawei’s application interface, it’s like running naked in front of the Chinese government. With the previous issuance of password management regulations, the government can easily obtain such content.