harmonyos.eu Compare Español

What is HarmonyOS?

HarmonyOS is Huawei's operating system for every kind of device. Since version 5 it contains no Android code: it has its own kernel, programming language and app store.

Updated 5 sources cited

Key points

  • HarmonyOS is Huawei's operating system for phones, tablets, watches, laptops, TVs and cars.
  • Since HarmonyOS 5 (2024) it contains no Android code: it uses the in-house HongMeng kernel and only runs native apps.
  • Apps are written in ArkTS or Cangjie and downloaded from AppGallery; there are no Google services.
  • Huawei puts the ecosystem at more than 1.3 billion devices, with over 90 million on HarmonyOS 6 or later.
  • Phones with today's HarmonyOS are only sold in China.

HarmonyOS in one sentence

HarmonyOS is a distributed operating system: it is designed so that many different devices work as if they were one. The same system, with the same kernel and the same apps, adapts to the screen of a watch, a foldable phone, a laptop or a car dashboard.

Huawei introduced it in 2019, when US sanctions cut it off from Google services on its phones. In China it is called HongMeng (鸿蒙). What started as an emergency plan is now the second best-selling mobile operating system in China, ahead of iOS, according to Counterpoint Research.

One operating system, many kinds of device

HarmonyOS at the centre, connected to phones, foldables and tablets, laptops, cars, TVs and watches. Phones Foldables, tablets Laptops Cars TVs Watches HarmonyOS one kernel
The same system and the same apps adapt to each screen; devices share tasks, files and calls with each other.

Is HarmonyOS just Android?

Not any more. In its early versions the short answer was "partly": HarmonyOS 2, 3 and 4 combined in-house components with an Android-compatible layer (based on open-source AOSP), which is why Huawei phones could install APKs.

In 2024 Huawei made the final leap with HarmonyOS NEXT, released to the public as HarmonyOS 5: a system built on the open-source OpenHarmony base, with its own kernel and no trace of Android. Since then apps have had to be native. We explain it in detail in the history of HarmonyOS.

What runs underneath: HarmonyOS 5+ and Android

HarmonyOS 5+

  1. AppsNative ArkTS / Cangjie apps and atomic services (no install)
  2. UIArkUI, declarative, one layout for every screen
  3. RuntimeArk Compiler and Ark Engine
  4. Distributed servicesDevices share tasks, files and hardware
  5. KernelHongMeng microkernel (in-house)

Android

  1. AppsKotlin / Java APKs from Google Play
  2. UIJetpack Compose or Views
  3. RuntimeAndroid Runtime (ART)
  4. ServicesGoogle Play services
  5. KernelLinux (monolithic)
Simplified diagram. Top to bottom: from what the user sees to the kernel that talks to the hardware.

How it works: the key pieces

  • HongMeng kernelAn in-house microkernel that replaces Linux. It keeps system services apart to contain failures and reduce the attack surface.
  • Super DeviceNearby devices connect and share tasks: move a video call from phone to tablet, or use one device's camera from another.
  • Atomic servicesMini apps that open instantly without installing, from a card, a code or the assistant.
  • ArkTS and ArkUIThe language and UI framework used to build apps; one layout adapts to every screen.
  • Celia (Xiaoyi)The AI assistant, which in HarmonyOS 7 acts as an agent able to complete tasks across several apps.
  • AppGalleryHuawei's store. In August 2026 it offered more than 100,000 native apps and more than 400,000 apps and services.

HarmonyOS and OpenHarmony

OpenHarmony is the open-source base of the system. Huawei donated it to the OpenAtom Foundation, a Chinese open-source foundation, and today other manufacturers also use it for tablets, industrial terminals and home appliances.

HarmonyOS is Huawei's commercial distribution on top of that base: it adds its interface, its services (accounts, cloud, payments, maps), the Celia assistant and the AppGallery store. The relationship is similar to that between open-source Android (AOSP) and the Android found on phones with Google services.

HarmonyOS in numbers

MetricFigureDate
Devices across the ecosystemMore than 1.3 billionJune 2026
Devices on HarmonyOS 6 or laterMore than 90 millionOctober 2026
Native appsMore than 100,000August 2026
Registered developers11 millionOctober 2026
Lines of code in the projectMore than 140 millionJune 2026

Figures reported by Huawei. The 1.3 billion figure includes earlier, Android-compatible versions and every kind of device.

What about Europe?

Huawei phones sold in Europe run EMUI, which is based on Android, without Google services. Where you will find HarmonyOS is on Huawei watches. We cover it in HarmonyOS in Europe.

Frequently asked questions

Is HarmonyOS Android?

Versions 2 to 4 combined HarmonyOS with an Android-compatible layer and could install APKs. Since HarmonyOS 5 (formerly called HarmonyOS NEXT, 2024) the system contains no Android code and does not run APKs: apps must be native.

Who develops HarmonyOS?

Huawei. Its open-source base, OpenHarmony, is managed by the OpenAtom Foundation and is also used by other Chinese manufacturers; HarmonyOS is Huawei's distribution with its own services and interface.

Does HarmonyOS have Google Play or Google apps?

No. Huawei has not been able to ship Google services since the US restrictions of 2019. Apps are installed from AppGallery, Huawei's store.

What is HongMeng?

It is the Chinese name of HarmonyOS (鸿蒙) and also the name of the in-house kernel the system has used since version 5, replacing Android's Linux kernel.

Keep reading

Sources

  1. Wikipedia. HarmonyOS version history
  2. Huawei Central. Huawei HarmonyOS device ecosystem surpassed 1.3 billion units (12/06/2026)
  3. TechNode. Huawei says HarmonyOS native apps top 100,000 as HarmonyOS 6 devices surpass 80 million (28/08/2026)
  4. OpenAtom Foundation. OpenHarmony (proyecto de código abierto)
  5. Wikipedia. ArkTS