Android alternative Harmony OS gets a first beta ApkRig

In addition to Android and iOS, Harmony OS 2.0 will soon be installed on many smartphones. At least when it comes to Huawei. The Chinese company has now launched a first developer beta for the new operating system. The first cell phones with Harmony OS should not be long in coming.

Since the US government’s ban on trade, Huawei has been looking for an alternative to Google’s version of Android. Because without the Google services, the operating system lacks some features that are now taken for granted. The Chinese company has developed Harmony OS on its own, an operating system that is supposed to be a real competitor to Android. Huawei has now opened the first developer beta for this.

Harmony OS instead of Android

Harmony OS will first be used on Huawei’s smartphones, but that’s not enough. The operating system is open source and, like Android, is therefore open to all manufacturers. Previous Android competitors, such as Windows Phone, may have failed terribly, but Huawei has the advantage that the brand is already established all over the world. Customers could turn their backs on Android out of brand loyalty.

If you want to install the new OS directly on your Huawei smartphone, unfortunately we have bad news. Because the beta is initially only available in Chinese and is only compatible with a handful of phones and tablets. Harmony OS 2.0 can be installed on the Huawei P40, P40 Pro, the Mate 30 series and the current MatePad Pro.

The developer beta is still a long way from being a product for end customers. Instead, programmers get the opportunity to optimize and test their programs for the new operating system. The version is not yet stable and returning to EMUI 11 also means losing all data on the smartphone. Accordingly, you should perhaps curb your curiosity a little.

The first screenshots from the beta show that Huawei has closely followed EMUI 11 when designing its own operating system, which still runs on Android. The company is probably trying to make the switch as easy as possible. The development for apps should also proceed in a similar way, so porting Android to Harmony OS is quite simple.

Huawei’s future vision remains vague

Despite this announcement, many questions remain unanswered. For example, it remains to be seen when Huawei will launch its first smartphone with Harmony OS. A P50 without Android seems rather absurd to us, but the new operating system could be ready for use by the release of the Mate 50.

With Harmony OS, Huawei wants to create an entire ecosystem of networked products that are perfectly coordinated with one another. Huawei’s then subsidiary Honor has already presented a corresponding television that can also act as a hub for the smart home, among other things.