Huawei: Should You Go To HarmonyOS From Android
Huawei today announced HarmonyOS, its new operating system for smartphones and other devices. So naturally, an important goal will be to convince many users to switch to HarmonyOS away from Android. But is the step worth it, and for which devices will there be an upgrade?
Huawei wants to spread HarmonyOS for smartphones quickly
Huawei will update over 100 smartphones, tablets, and other devices to HarmonyOS. Even phones that are several years old, such as the Huawei P20 Pro or Mate 10, will be offered an upgrade. The first updates will be made available in China today, and there will be more in the coming months.
For whom is the switch to HarmonyOS worthwhile?
It is immediately noticeable that these are only devices that came onto the market without Google services anyway. So switching to the new operating system shouldn’t have any advantages or disadvantages for these models. So if you own a P40 Pro, for example, and would like to try HarmonyOS, we think you are welcome to do so. Perhaps you shouldn’t take the first version because unexpected problems could arise, but a change in the coming weeks, when the first tests have run, will certainly not be a problem. You could even benefit from the innovations of HarmonyOS. For example, the operating system should run faster, not consume as much energy and have some new features. Huawei will presumably present everything in detail shortly.
If, on the other hand, you own a Huawei P40 Pro and have manually installed Google services and apps on it, then you should think twice about upgrading to HarmonyOS. It is not confident sure that the Google services will still work afterward. In the past few weeks, there have been repeated reports that Google services are also running under HarmonyOS, but that is no guarantee. Huawei cannot give that because they no longer work with Google. In addition, the Google services could still work now, but not later. Google wants to lock out all devices that are not certified. So you should wait a bit here to see how the situation develops. Again, there is no guarantee for Google services under HarmonyOS.
Is Harmony OS compatible with Android?
The operating system is designed to have an Android compatibility layer. This means that Harmony can run Android apps. In addition, the OS will be equipped with a branded App Gallery store, which has been actively developing over the past few years.
At the same time, HUAWEI is not yet planning to en masse transfer their devices from Android to Harmony. “We can do this at any time, but in order to maintain a partnership with Google and to be efficient, Android will be a priority for now. If we cannot use it in the future, we can switch to Harmony,” said the company’s top manager Yu Zhengdong.
Why does HUAWEI have its situation changed OS?
Although work on Harmony OS has been going on for a long time, there was no rush to release it. After Donald Trump’s decrees in May 2019, he banned American IT companies from cooperating with HUAWEI. As we remember, the Chinese IT giant immediately parted with Google services. But he accelerated the creation of his OS – so as not to depend on the actions of American politicians.
