Huawei’s Harmony OS will be a great rival to Android by being Open Source

If there is something complex in the consumer computing sector, it is to launch a new operating system. At least it is well into the 21st century. The mobile landscape seems totally dominated by Android and iOS and the computer scene by the now legendary Windows and Mac OS. Yes, also Linux to a lesser extent.

There are new devices that are beginning to take on a certain relevance, such as televisions, connected devices and others, and there it is true that there is no dominant player. And Huawei wants to enter all of them at once.

Harmony OS as the ultimate integrator

At the Huawei developer event, the HDC, the company announced the release of the second version of Harmony OS, your own operating system. According to a company official, this version would already be close to Android.

Last year we saw a first version for smart screens, devices that are more than televisions according to the firm itself. In the second version, what is sought is that it expands to all other devices, from cars to mobiles through household appliances. In fact it is already official that mobiles with EMUI 11 will be able to update to Harmony OS.

The Asian firm continues to push in the same direction trying to attract developers to create applications compatible with its new operating system.

Harmony OS is an Open Source operating system

One of the boldest moves has been to launch the operating system as an Open Source project, something that would allow rival brands to use it to create their own operating system. This is literally what Google did with Android and how successful it has been.

Huawei’s intention is to create a rival to Android not only in terms of its use in mobile phones but also as a platform that other giants in the industry want to support.

The task facing the company is, being generous, titanic, but if they managed to ally themselves with some Western and Eastern firms, Google could see its hegemony in danger.

The relevance of HMS

One of the important points of Harmony OS is its integration with HMS, the Huawei Mobile Services. It must be made clear that they are not the same at all and that Huawei’s ecosystem of services can be implemented in several operating systems, among which is Harmony OS but also Android.

HMS (Huawei Mobile Services): what are they, how are they installed, what are they for

Huawei mobiles cannot use Google apps and services, so they come with HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) installed, we will tell you all about it.

There are already almost 100,000 applications using HMS. This does not mean that Huawei has these apps in its store, there are many more. These are the ones that require the company’s API platform.

The increase in APIs (application programming interface) has been notorious, going from the almost 900 it had in 2019 to the almost 13,000 in 2020.

Huawei seeks to be a rival to Google

In order to have a real Android competitor, Huawei must face Google in multiple areas. For this, it has developed its own payment systems, such as Huawei Pay, online advertising systems such as Huawei Ads and even a search engine integrated into your browser.

These types of movements will continue to increase over time. One of the latest has been Huawei Maps, which is not an app, but a service to be used as a cartographic base by other apps.

Of course, one thing is the intention of the company and another what it can achieve. Trying to create something of the size that Huawei is looking for, we would say that it is practically impossible in 2020 but if we have seen something it is that this year it is already difficult for us to be surprised by something.

Huawei’s Harmony OS entry will be a great rival to Android as Open Source appears first in The Free Android.