China’s Huawei aims 100,000 apps on Harmony OS in 6-12 months

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s Huawei, blacklisted by the U.S., said on Saturday it is targeting 100,000 applications for its Harmony operating system in coming months as it seeks widespread help to achieve self-reliance.

The tech giant has more than 15,000 applications based on Harmony that can meet consumers’ basic needs, but the ecosystem requires more personalised and boutique apps, Huawei Chairman Xu Zhijun told a conference on Saturday.

“Based on our analysis, for the Harmony ecosystem to be mature in meeting consumer needs, 100,000 apps is the milestone, and that is the key objective over the next six to 12 months,” Xu said in a speech posted on the WeChat messaging app.

The ambitious app target highlights the urgency in developing home-grown technologies as China faces elevated tensions with the U.S. in areas ranging from trade to technology as President-elect Donald Trump threatens to be tougher on China.

Huawei launched its operating system five years ago after U.S. sanctions cut off support for Google’s Android. The Shenzhen-based company, which sells products ranging from smartphones to laptops, later developed an open-source version of the Harmony system.

Due to the U.S. sanctions, “Huawei has been forced to accelerate developing its own operating system,” Xu said. Although much progress has been made, “for any operation system, no matter how advanced it is, it would be of no value if no one uses it.”

Xu expressed hope that developers could work hard to enrich app offerings and called on government agencies, state companies and social organisations to use Harmony as their operating system at work.

He asked consumers to be tolerant of the system’s immaturity, saying, “The more people use it, the more quickly it will become mature.”

Huawei unveiled Harmony in August 2019, three months after Washington placed it under trade restrictions over alleged security concerns. Huawei denies its equipment poses a risk.

“No way back leads to victory,” Xu said. “Huawei will unwaveringly invest in developing the Harmony ecosystem, and strive to make the impossible possible.”

(Reporting by Samuel Shen and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by William Mallard)