Huawei’s HarmonyOS is swiftly growing beyond the niche category, with a combined user base of 27 million for its HarmonyOS 5 and HarmonyOS 6 versions. Once limited by the U.S. ban in 2019, which restricted Huawei’s access to Google Mobile Services (GMS), the Chinese tech giant was forced to innovate. HarmonyOS was developed to fill the gap left by the lack of GMS on its devices, and now it stands as a legitimate contender to Android and iOS.
HarmonyOS Growth Shows Promise
HarmonyOS has shown impressive growth, hosting more than 88 million app downloads daily, with 100,000 new device activations every day. The platform’s increasing developer support, alongside Huawei’s expanding device sales, has helped solidify its place as China’s second-largest mobile operating system. It currently holds 17% of the smartphone operating system market share in China, edging out Apple’s iOS by 1%.
The Shift in China’s Mobile OS Landscape
The growing adoption of HarmonyOS is particularly evident in the Chinese market, where it has surpassed iOS in terms of market share for the sixth consecutive quarter. As Huawei continues to strengthen its foothold with flagship devices like the Mate 80 series, HarmonyOS looks set to challenge the dominance of global giants, especially in high-growth markets.
Huawei’s Ambitious Future Plans
Huawei’s focus on growing the HarmonyOS ecosystem is showing results, with the platform now home to 10 million developers. As Huawei continues to integrate advanced features, such as AirDrop-like wireless file transfers, its ambition to rival Android and iOS globally is becoming increasingly realistic. HarmonyOS may soon become a prominent player in the mobile OS space, not just in China, but worldwide.
