Huawei Reveals HarmonyOS 2.0, Adding Support for tablets, wearables and smartphones

Yesterday at its annual developer conference, Huawei released the second iteration of its in-house multifaceted OS, HarmonyOS.

The first-generation of HarmonyOS might not have been a big issue, but the second iteration is because Huawei has now expanded support for more devices.

HarmonyOS 2.0 will support tablets, smartphones, and wearables like smartwatches.

Since the initial launch in 2019, after being added to the so-called entity list that barred the company from accessing GMS, Huawei launched an Honor smart TV running the OS.

Currently, it’s available for both TVs from Huawei and its sub-brand Honor.

From its initial pitch, Huawei said Harmony OS could run on smartphones, laptops, and even IoT devices.

Now, we know that the first HarmonyOS smartphone will be launched in early 2020, according to Huawei’s head of consumer division.

In preparation for the launch, Huawei has launched HarmonyOS 2.0 Beta SDK for developers to make compatible apps.

As of now, the Beta SDK is still limited to Smart TVs, Smartwatches, and head units. Huawei plans to incorporate support for developing smartphone apps on the SDK in December 2020.

Harmony OS, currently a closed software, will be fully open-source before October 2021.

Shift to HarmonyOS

Huawei plans to shift some of its Android devices to HarmonyOS. According to the company, this will be possible as soon as the first HarmonyOS device enters the market in 2021.

Users who will upgrade to EMUI 11 will get a HarmonyOS update “as soon as possible,” the company says. But it’s unlikely that existing Huawei devices with Google Apps will be able to do so, HuaweiCentral says.

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