Huawei officially unveiled a new operating system that could replace Android if the firm's US nightmare continues
- Huawei has officially announced its new operating system: Harmony OS.
- The technology could end up replacing Android on its mobile devices should the Chinese firm remain blacklisted in the US.
- Harmony OS will be open source and will "flexibly deploy" across various devices, including phones and smart TVs.
- Despite its troubles in America, IHS Markit research released this week still ranks Huawei as the second-largest phone maker in the world.
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Huawei has officially lifted the curtain on its new operating system - and it's called Harmony OS.
The operating system - previously referred to as Hongmeng, which is what it will be called in China - could end up replacing Android on its mobile devices should the Chinese firm remain blacklisted in the US.
Harmony OS was unveiled on Friday at a developers' conference held in Dongguan in southern China, where Huawei has built a lavish campus.
It will be open source and used in smartphones and other devices, and Richard Yu, head of Huawei's consumer business group, said it will be "completely different from Android and iOS."
He added: "You can develop your apps once, then flexibly deploy them across a range of different devices." This could include smart TVs and car systems, according to a tweet Huawei posted about the technology.
Tweet Embed://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1159730902341234688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A modularized #HarmonyOS can be nested to adapt flexibly to any device to create a seamless cross-device experience. Developed via the distributed capability kit, it builds the foundation of a shared developer ecosystem #HDC2019 pic.twitter.com/2TD9cgtdG8
Yu has previously said Huawei wants the operating system to be ready to be rolled out internationally in early 2020. It could launch in China later this year.
Huawei, the second-largest smartphone maker in the world, ramped up its work on Harmony this year after it was blacklisted by the US government in May over fears it acts as a proxy for Chinese government spying.
As a result of the Trump administration's decision, Google effectively severed ties with Huawei, pending a period of grace up until August 19. It could mean Google stops rolling out Android updates to Huawei devices, and that new Huawei phones won't have access to services like Gmail.
Read more: Huawei says its homemade operating system could be ready to replace Android by early 2020
Since the blacklisting in May, the US government has softened its position, saying it would issue licenses to allow companies to sell to Huawei. This week, however, Bloomberg reported that US officials are delaying a decision on whether to grant licenses.
Yu said on Friday it would be difficult for Huawei to meet its previous goal of becoming the world's biggest smartphone maker by shipments in 2019 due to the ongoing issues in the US. The company would have been able to ship 300 million smartphones this year without such restrictions, Yu said.
Despite its troubles in America, IHS Markit research released this week still ranks Huawei as the second-largest phone maker in the world. It is comfortably ahead of Apple, which slipped into fourth place.