HarmonyOS for the moment should not be an operating system dedicated to smartwatches, but in case of need Huawei is ready to use it
The new HarmonyOS operating system will remain for a while yet in the drawers of Huawei: the next smartphones of the Chinese giant will still be Android phones, even the top of the range as the long-awaited Mate 30 and the foldable Mate X.
The company itself has reiterated this, through the mouth of its vice president Vincent Yang who, in an interview with CNET, said clearly: "We want to maintain a single standard, a single ecosystem". On the other hand, the transition from Android to HarmonyOS would not be painless neither for users nor, consequently, for the company. At the same time, however, Yang reiterated that Huawei is ready to use HarmonyOS even immediately, should Donald Trump's ban make it impossible to use Android. HarmonyOS, however, could soon arrive on other devices: smartwatches.
With their backs to the wall
Last week, Google's temporary permission to continue doing business with Huawei expired, but the U.S. Commerce Department in a "last minute" move extended it for another 90 days. Until mid-November, then, in theory, Huawei can continue to use the Android operating system on its devices without major problems. But Yang knows that the situation could change, for better or worse, at any moment, and that Huawei could suddenly be forced to do without Android. "You never know," said the Huawei manager. Should it find itself with its back against the wall, then, the company would have its "plan B" ready: HarmonyOS, officially presented at the beginning of August.
HarmonyOS on a smartwatch
Selling smartphones without Android on the international market wouldn't be easy for Huawei anyway: customers are used to Google's ecosystem, which is not only made of Android but also of many other apps they use daily. From Gmail to Google Maps. A little easier would be to sell a smartwatch with the new operating system, since these devices have a specific and limited use anyway and do not involve the installation of dozens of apps. Yang, on the other hand, confirmed that the release of a smartwatch with the HarmonyOS operating system is already planned for some time although he did not provide any more information nor an official date for the launch.