Huawei launches updated operating system HarmonyOS 3, new ride-hailing platform

HarmonyOS 3, Huawei’s third-generation operating system, is designed to provide a more seamless experience across smart devices
Huawei also announced the launch of Petal Chuxing, a ride-hailing platform that pulls together third-party service providers

Huawei

Iris Dengin Shenzhen

Published: 10:06pm, 27 Jul, 2022

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Huawei Technologies Co has released an upgraded version of its own operating system, as the Chinese telecommunications giant pushes forward with its Android replacement amid ongoing US sanctions.

HarmonyOS 3, Huawei’s third-generation operating system, is designed to provide a more seamless experience across devices, including smartphones, tablets, printers, cars and smart home devices such as televisions, company representatives said at an online launch event on Wednesday.

Huawei also announced the launch of Petal Chuxing, a ride-hailing platform that pulls together third-party service providers. Running on HarmonyOS 3, the new app is compatible with several Huawei devices, including smartphones, watches and tablets, the company said.

While Huawei said that Petal Chuxing “does not aim to compete with anyone”, the app marks the company’s entrance into a field led by Didi Chuxing, which was recently fined US$1.2 billion by Chinese regulators following a year-long cybersecurity investigation.

Pedestrians walks past a Huawei flagship store in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg

Huawei’s decision to carry on with its self-developed operating system and introduce a ride-hailing service comes as the company struggles to revive its consumer business, which has been crippled by US sanctions.

Huawei debuted the original HarmonyOS in August 2019, three months after the firm was added to Washington’s trade blacklist, preventing it from buying software, chips and other technologies from American companies. Soon after the ban was announced, Google stopped providing its suite of mobile software services to Huawei.

Without access to Google apps and advanced chips made with US technologies, global sales of Huawei smartphones nosedived, forcing the Shenzhen-based giant to explore alternative business opportunities, such as convincing other hardware makers to adopt HarmonyOS.

The first device to launch with HarmonyOS was a smart television unveiled in August 2019 by Huawei’s then-subsidiary Honor.

HarmonyOS 2.0, Huawei’s second-generation operating system, was adopted by the firm’s smartphones last year, while the car-specific HarmonyOS Smart Cockpit can be found on an electric vehicle launched in China earlier this year, co-developed with domestic automotive brand Seres.

To date, over 300 million Huawei devices have been equipped with various versions of HarmonyOS, Richard Yu Chengdong, chief executive of Huawei’s consumer business group, said on Wednesday.

Shoppers at Huawei’s flagship store in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg

HarmonyOS 3 will be made available to more devices starting in September, the company said.

However, Huawei’s efforts to persuade third-party smartphone and gadget makers to adopt HarmonyOS remain an uphill battle. Android is still the world’s most popular mobile operating system with a 72 per cent share in July, according to data from StatCounter.

Huawei’s total sales last year shrank by nearly a third from 2020 to reach 636.8 billion yuan (US$100 billion), its worst annual sales performance on record. Its consumer business, made up mostly of smartphone sales, was the worst-hit, with revenue plunging by half to 243.4 billion yuan.

Despite the challenges, Huawei continues to invest in HarmonyOS amid Beijing’s call for Chinese companies to develop home-grown computer operating systems and reduce dependence on foreign rivals, such as Microsoft Windows and Google’s Android.

Additional reporting by Che Pan

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