How Many Hidden Secrets Lie Within Huawei’s HarmonyOS?

The NCC stated that in the future, if Huawei phones use OTA (Over-The-Air) updates, they likewise cannot change the system label. If they do, the certification or model approval will be revoked. (Image is for illustrative purposes.) (Chen Bozhou / Dajiyuan)

November 3, 2024 - Huawei, the controversial company from Shenzhen, recently launched the latest version of its native HarmonyOS, drawing widespread attention. Many are questioning its claimed independence, security, and commercial viability. What hidden secrets lie behind Huawei’s HarmonyOS?

Is HarmonyOS Completely Independent?

On October 22, Huawei released its native HarmonyOS (also known as the Galaxy version) (HarmonyOS NEXT), marking the fifth iteration of this operating system since 2019.

Huawei’s Executive Director Yu Chengdong claimed that this new native HarmonyOS represents a fully self-developed system base, earning it the label of “purebred HarmonyOS.” Previous versions of HarmonyOS still used parts of the AOSP open-source code and were compatible with some Android applications.

Yu also stated that HarmonyOS now ranks among the top two operating systems in China’s market, with over 1 billion devices running on HarmonyOS.

China’s CCTV reported that this new HarmonyOS is “another landmark achievement that breaks the constraints of ‘lack of chips and spirit’ and Western technological monopolies.”

After Google revoked Huawei’s Android license in May 2019 (allowing only access to open-source Android code), Huawei launched the original version of HarmonyOS. In 2020, it released the second version, with Yu Chengdong once again claiming it was “completely different from Android and iOS.” At the time, Wang Chenglu, Huawei’s president of consumer software, also stated, “HarmonyOS is neither a clone of Android nor iOS.”

Despite Huawei’s claims of full independence, technical experts have different views.

In 2021, the U.S. tech media Ars Technica, after technical analysis, concluded that HarmonyOS “looks practically identical to unmodified Android” and is “essentially a fork of Android.”

Niu Baoshu, a former backend developer for an internet company, told Epoch Times that the initial HarmonyOS was basically just Android with a skin—just a UI (user interface) change on top of Android, rebranded as HarmonyOS.

“Later, they gradually hollowed out the foundation and finally achieved the native HarmonyOS. The native HarmonyOS doesn’t use the Android base anymore, including AOSP, and is incompatible with Android apps,” he said. “Developing an independent operating system is not as difficult as imagined, as it mainly involves stacking open-source software, but the challenge lies in building an ecosystem.”

Niu explained that if practicality were the main concern, it would likely have continued using the existing technology and APIs (application programming interfaces) to maintain compatibility. But Huawei wanted to avoid the “Android skin” label, so it intentionally made HarmonyOS incompatible with Android.

“This decision wasn’t driven by performance or market considerations but rather by the government’s desire to avoid the ‘Android skin’ criticism. In essence, it’s still a poor imitation of Android, iOS, and Linux,” he said.

Regarding claims of over 1 billion devices using HarmonyOS, Niu believes this is an exaggeration. Even if counting every Huawei smartphone, smartwatch, and tablet sold historically, there still wouldn’t be 1 billion.

According to industry insiders in China, Huawei’s HarmonyOS actually comes in three types: one for smartphones, an embedded version mainly for appliances, and the TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) security version for handling sensitive information. Mainland media reported that as of 2020, Midea, Joyoung, Robam Appliances, and Haier devices were using HarmonyOS, and by 2021, HarmonyOS aimed to cover more than 40 mainstream brands and over 100 million devices.

Niu noted that Huawei has deliberately blurred the definition of HarmonyOS, making it hard for ordinary people to differentiate. HarmonyOS on appliances is relatively insignificant, as people don’t really care about the operating system on home appliances.

“The only meaningful metric for HarmonyOS is its installation on smartphones and tablets. Only if the number of purebred HarmonyOS installations on these devices reaches a large scale will developers be incentivized to create applications, thus building an ecosystem.”

HarmonyOS is Part of the CCP’s “Trusted Innovation” Project

Globally, there are billions of smartphones, but the dominant operating systems are only two giants: Android and Apple iOS. Microsoft, Firefox, Amazon, Samsung, and Ubuntu Touch have all attempted to enter the mobile market but failed.

Technology historians argue that launching a new mobile operating system is foolish, as Apple and Android monopolize all apps, hardware, and the market, collectively squeezing innovation out of the field.

Niu stated that creating HarmonyOS was not only commercially unwise, but also foolish on all fronts. If viewed purely from a technical or commercial perspective, any new operating system should be developed for VR (like Apple Vision), as VR is still a competitive field.

“Why did they launch this OS? Because the CCP is preparing for the contingency of foreign tech embargoes. If these technologies are blocked, what will they do? Consider it a Plan B, not based on commercial or technical considerations.”

He said, “The logic behind this is the same as with Loongson; it’s a backup plan in case of sanctions. It’s something pushed forward by the government without regard for cost or expense.”

Huawei’s HarmonyOS has received strong support from local CCP governments and state-owned enterprises. In March of this year, the Shenzhen Municipal Government issued the 2024 Action Plan to Support the Development of Native HarmonyOS Applications, with similar initiatives in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong. Native HarmonyOS-based provincial government apps, such as “iShenzhen,” “Xiangyi Office,” and “Love Shandong,” are now online.

The CCP’s government and state-owned enterprise support aligns with its “Trusted Innovation” project to eliminate American tech products, initially targeting government document systems and gradually expanding to key industries, including finance, telecommunications, electricity, and transportation. The plan aims to replace foreign products and achieve so-called independent control, with a policy of “replacing wherever possible.” However, Chinese media admit that Trusted Innovation products remain rudimentary, and the Trusted Innovation project is encountering greater challenges at the industry and local levels.

Chinese experts note that native HarmonyOS represents the extension of government-supported Trusted Innovation in the smartphone field. Additionally, given that domestic operating systems like Kirin and Tongxin remain underdeveloped, HarmonyOS has the potential to evolve into a mainstream PC operating system.

Zhong Shan, a senior communications engineer in Silicon Valley, told Epoch Times that Huawei has been preparing for this for a long time, with the CCP granting it extensive time, funding, and resources to develop it. This is part of a broader agenda, called digital sovereignty, underscoring Sino-U.S. tensions.

“The CCP has concerns over AI, big data, and cloud computing, and it wants to control these technologies independently from the ground up. For instance, now we have Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud, and an effort to replace Android.”

He explained that the question with HarmonyOS isn’t about whether it’s feasible or achievable but whether the ecosystem will buy in. Huawei’s significant effort here was clearly not motivated by commercial gain.

Commercial Viability

Huawei’s native HarmonyOS will face global market challenges, including competition with Apple’s iOS and Android, security issues, and ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Though Huawei claims the new OS natively supports 15,000 applications, this is still far behind Android and iOS, which support millions of apps.

Additionally, developers would need to completely rewrite applications to run on Huawei’s HarmonyOS. With Huawei’s limited market share outside China, app vendors have little incentive to do this, and customers may opt for other brands.

Niu noted that HarmonyOS offers no advantage over Android, so no one will develop or operate apps for it. Even Microsoft’s Windows Phone system only held a 1% market share, and Android didn’t support it.

He further explained that while HarmonyOS is functional, building its ecosystem is nearly impossible. Purebred HarmonyOS has a market share of only 0.0X percent, and no one is developing applications for it. An Android app, from a business perspective, will not adapt for HarmonyOS; it will only develop for Android and iOS, not HarmonyOS. However, with government backing, the CCP might push certain apps, like WPS, WeChat, and Alipay, to adapt.

Niu believes that five years from now, HarmonyOS will remain a niche OS, with adoption limited to government and state-owned enterprises. Ordinary consumers are unlikely to use it, just like Loongson’s current market share. You can buy a Loongson computer on the market, but few would use it unless motivated by non-commercial reasons, like government orders or reviews.

Zhong noted that in an unfree economic environment, the only way to push HarmonyOS is through government enforcement. “Examples include past mandatory installations of Green Dam, recent requirements for anti-fraud and health codes, and the potential future requirement to pass the Xi Thought app exam to find a job.”

HarmonyOS as a New Firewall and Surveillance Tool

Early versions of HarmonyOS were compatible with Android. However, the new purebred HarmonyOS adopts a closed strategy, making it the closest system in the world to excluding U.S. technology. This reinforces the CCP’s efforts to separate itself from international software and hardware standards, a trend that began more than 20 years ago with the “Great Firewall.”

Huawei phones have already become CCP surveillance tools. In June 2021, a mainland netizen noted that after upgrading to HarmonyOS 2.0, applications such as VPNs would be automatically detected, and the police would immediately notify users to delete them.

Zhong stated that HarmonyOS would inevitably become a surveillance tool, capable of monitoring users directly from traffic data. For example, Huawei’s input method, photo album, and cloud storage can monitor users before they even post online.

Zhong advised Chinese citizens not to buy HarmonyOS devices or domestic brands, recommending spending a little more to buy foreign devices or installing a foreign OS on domestic phones.

Niu commented that security-conscious individuals would not use HarmonyOS. Huawei’s hardware, including its 5G base stations, switches, and routers, is banned in the U.S., EU, and UK.

“If you install Huawei’s application interface, it’s like running naked in front of the CCP. The CCP’s previous regulation on password management allows the government to access any content it wants.”

Editor: Lin Yan