Huawei makes a break from Android with next version of Harmony OS - Caixin

[January 19, 2024]  SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies will not support Android apps on the latest iteration of its in-house Harmony operating system, domestic financial media Caixin reported, as the company looks to bolster its own software ecosystem.

Visitors walk past the Huawei logo at the World Artificial Intelligence Cannes Festival (WAICF) in Cannes, France, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File Photo

The company plans to roll out a developer version of its HarmonyOS Next platform in the second quarter of this year followed by a full commercial version in the fourth quarter, it said in a company statement highlighting the launch event for the platform in its home city of Shenzhen on Thursday.

Huawei first unveiled its proprietary Harmony system in 2019 and prepared to launch it on some smartphones a year later after U.S. restrictions cut its access to Google's technical support for its Android mobile OS.

However, earlier versions of Harmony allowed apps built for Android to be used on the system, which will no longer be possible, according to Caixin.

Huawei did not respond to a request for comment.

Last August, Huawei unexpectedly launched its Mate60 series of smartphones, which are believed to be powered by a domestically developed chip set.

The release was widely viewed as marking Huawei's comeback into the high-end smartphone market after years of struggling under U.S. sanctions.

The company expects 2023 revenue to exceed 700 billion yuan ($97.3 billion), amounting to 9% year-on-year growth, according to an internal message last month.

($1 = 7.1956 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by David Kirton; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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