Huawei's HarmonyOS to not support Android apps

Older versions of Harmony OS supported all applications developed for Android mobiles
The image displays the UI of HarmonyOS. — Huaweicentral
The image displays the UI of HarmonyOS. — Huaweicentral

The Chinese multinational technology company Huawei is going to make its proprietary operating system, called Harmony, unsupportive for Android apps. 

According to China's domestic financial media Caixin, by making the Harmony OS incompatible with Android apps with the most updated version, Huawei aims to flourish the ecosystem of its own software developments.

However, the older versions of the operating system supported all the applications developed for Android.

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The Shenzhen-based tech giant plans to release a developer version of its HarmonyOS Next platform in the second quarter of the ongoing year, while the comprehensively developed version of the operating system will be released in the fourth quarter, said a company statement in reference to the inaugural event for its HarmonyOS Next platform concluded a day earlier in Shenzhen.

Why Android apps are not supported on Harmony OS

In 2019, when it was in the development phase, Huawei revealed the first version of Harmony OS installed on some of its smartphones a year after the access to Google's technical support for its Android mobile OS was restricted by US sanctions.

In a surprising move, Huawei released its Mate60 series of smartphones last August, reportedly equipped with a chipset developed within the country. 

The launch was considered as a significant step for Huawei in re-entering the competitive high-end smartphone market, following a period of challenges due to U.S. sanctions.