Huawei trademarks a new Harmony mobile operating system

While Huawei’s issues with the US government appear to be easing, it does not mean the company has given up on developing a back-up mobile operating system in case the tide turns again.

LetsGoDigital reports that Huawei has trademarked a new mobile operating system called Harmony at the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) on the 12 July 2019.

The company had earlier trademarked an OS called HongMeng in China, but this was later revealed to be for Internet of Thing devices.

Huawei’s mobile operating system could be ready for launch by the end of the year for Chinese users, said Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei. The global launch could follow in the first quarter of 2020.

Huawei has sung the praises of their new operating system in various interviews, saying it was 60% faster than Android, but have at the same time made it clear they prefer using Android and Windows for greater compatability.

Given the volatility of the US administration, it makes sense for Huawei to keep a contingency plan in place, though I suspect it makes even more sense to get other OEMs on board to create a large enough platform to entice developer support.

See the trademark application here.