HarmonyOS (HMOS) is a distributed operating system developed by Huawei for smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, smartwatches, personal computers and other connected devices. Its central design idea is that devices with different hardware can share capabilities and work together as one system. Huawei introduced it on 9 August 2019 at its developer conference, after the company had come under US trade restrictions. Its name is rendered in Chinese as 鸿蒙 (Hóngméng, "vast mist"). The system has two generations: the first (versions 1 to 4.x) was built on the Android Open Source Project, while the second, known as HarmonyOS NEXT and later simply HarmonyOS, is a native system that does not run Android code.
Design and architecture
HarmonyOS is built around a microkernel and a single framework. Because devices differ widely in resources, the system selects a suitable kernel from an abstraction layer depending on the hardware. Huawei describes the architecture as having three layers: a core layer, a layer of basic system services, and a programming framework layer. Huawei has also claimed that the microkernel's code base is a small fraction of the size of the Linux macro-kernel, and that its design improves both security and performance; these claims come from the company and have not been independently verified.
The system's distributed capabilities are the main feature that Huawei promotes. Devices linked to one account or network can be aggregated into a "super device", so that hardware such as a camera on one device can be used by another. Tasks can be handed off between devices, and data can be shared between them. Huawei's developer documentation describes the target as the Internet of Everything era, covering phones, tablets, smart glasses, PCs, vehicle head units, smart speakers and AR/VR headsets. Components can be trimmed to suit each device class, so a small device runs a reduced version of the same system.
Development model
Developers use the DevEco Studio integrated development environment and the HarmonyOS software development kit. Applications are written mainly in ArkTS, an extension of JavaScript and TypeScript, using the ArkUI user interface framework and the ArkCompiler toolchain. Huawei's stated goal is "one-time development, multi-device deployment": a single application can be packaged to run on many device types, with layouts adapting to screen size. Distribution is through Huawei's AppGallery store, using App Pack files with the .app extension that contain one or more HarmonyOS Ability Packages. Since version 5, the system supports only native applications and does not install Android packages.
History and versions
Huawei's first public releases were HarmonyOS 2.0 in June 2021 and HarmonyOS 3.0 later that year. From 2019 to 2024, versions 1 to 4.x were built on the Android Open Source Project together with the OpenHarmony project, so that they could run both HarmonyOS and Android apps. Huawei announced HarmonyOS NEXT on 4 August 2023 at its developer conference, saying it would remove Android code entirely and use the company's own Hongmeng kernel. Its commercial launch followed in late 2024, and Huawei first offered it as an upgrade for the Mate 70 series in November 2024, letting users choose between HarmonyOS NEXT and the older 4.3 version. Huawei said in October 2024 that more than 23 million devices were running HarmonyOS 5.
Later releases dropped the "NEXT" suffix. HarmonyOS 6 entered beta in October 2025 and became generally available on 25 November 2025. As of October 2026, it is the latest stable major version, and Huawei's preview work is moving on to later versions. Huawei releases new major versions at its annual developer conference, with a stable release typically following in the fourth quarter.
Ecosystem and open source
HarmonyOS is closely tied to OpenHarmony, an open-source project that Huawei started and that is now managed by the OpenAtom Foundation. The licensed open-source codebase is the basis for the commercial HarmonyOS builds, though the commercial version includes proprietary components. At the OpenHarmony Developer Conference in May 2026, the foundation's chairman reported that the community's codebase had passed 140 million lines and had more than 13,000 contributors. Huawei also reports growth in the number of native apps and developers, though these figures come from the company.
The app ecosystem was a major concern in the early years. Because the native system dropped Android compatibility, apps had to be rewritten, and Huawei reported roughly 5,000 native apps by 2024. Many major services, including messaging and video platforms, were adapted over time, but the number and range of apps remain smaller than on Android or iOS.
Market position
The system is used mainly on Huawei's own hardware. Counterpoint Research tracks smartphone sales by operating system. In its data for the second quarter of 2026, Android had 75% of global smartphone shipments, iOS had 20%, and HarmonyOS had 5%. In China, HarmonyOS reached 24%, placing it second behind Android (58%) and ahead of iOS (18%). Some third-party reports cite the China figures the other way round, so readers should check the original tables. Counterpoint also reported that HarmonyOS had reached 19% in China in the first quarter of 2026, the company's strongest showing in that market since 2020. These shares measure devices shipped in a period, not devices in use.
Security, privacy and controversy
Huawei presents HarmonyOS as a security-focused system, citing its microkernel design, formal verification of parts of the trusted execution environment, and privacy controls. Such claims are the company's own and have not been independently audited. Commentators also note that the move away from Android is partly a response to geopolitical pressure on Huawei, which has reshaped its software strategy. Supporters see a credible alternative to the Android and iOS duopoly, especially for distributed hardware. Critics question how much the system differs from Android in practice, how independent the open-source project is from Huawei, and whether the apps ecosystem can grow beyond China.
See also
HarmonyOS overlaps with discussions of distributed computing, the Internet of things, data privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property and trade restrictions on technology.
References
- About HarmonyOS-HarmonyOS Overview-Introduction-HarmonyOSDevicedevice.harmonyos.com
- HarmonyOSen.wikipedia.org
- HarmonyOS version historyen.wikipedia.org
- HarmonyOS 5en.wikipedia.org
- HarmonyOS 6 - BetaWikibetawiki.net
- HarmonyOS NEXT - BetaWikibetawiki.net
- Qt for HarmonyOS - Qt Wikiwiki.qt.io
- HarmonyOS/README.md at master · Awesome-HarmonyOS/HarmonyOS · GitHubgithub.com
- HarmonyOS NEXT（a self-developed operating system by Huawei）_Baiduwikibaike.baidu.com
- Huawei AppGalleryen.wikipedia.org
- HarmonyOS - Wikiwandwikiwand.com
- Global Smartphone Sales Share by Operating Systemcounterpointresearch.com
- Android, iOS, or HarmonyOS: Which mobile OS led the market in Q2 2026noypigeeks.com
- Android, iOS and HarmonyOS Market Shares Revealed for 2026 - Erbakerbak.net
- Huawei HarmonyOS once again overtakes iOS by 19% share hike - Huawei Centralhuaweicentral.com
- HarmonyOS Surpasses iOS in China for First Time, Retakes No. 2 Spot; Android's Global Share Slumps to 73% — BigGo Financefinance.biggo.com