According to Huawei, Harmony OS 2.0 is the first distributed operating system built for the full scripting era. It enables voice integration and interaction between devices with large and miniature displays, fast networking, adaptive user interface, and active use of AI. The platform is designed to become a powerful engine for creating your own ecosystem.

The new version of Harmony OS 2.0 represents a significant update to the existing OS features, including SoftBus, data management, and security, to which the company is focusing. Huawei also introduced a responsive UX framework that allows developers to quickly connect with tens of millions of new devices and users.

In addition, Huawei’s Consumer Business Executive Yu Chengdong announced the availability of the beta version of the Harmony OS 2.0 SDK for TVs, watches, and cars starting today. In December, Chinese developers will have access to the beta version of the SDK for smartphones – we will see real phones based on Huawei’s Harmony OS 2.0 in 2021. It’s important to note that Harmony OS will be officially open source and developers will receive emulators, SDKs, tools, and compilers.

In his speech, Yu Shandong said that Huawei decided to take a completely open path and introduced the OpenHarmony program – in fact, an analog of AOSP for Android with full publication of the source codes and the possibility of developing the platform by third-party developers. Currently, OpenHarmony only supports IoT (Internet of Things) devices with 128KB – 128MB of storage (TVs, watches, and cars). In April 2021, support will be expanded to devices with up to 4GB of memory. Finally, in October, the source code will be open to all devices with 4 GB of memory or more.

Based on Harmony OS distribution technology, the new EMUI 11 shell is designed to provide interoperability between smartphones. It will enable better interoperability with IoT devices running Harmony OS and is designed to create a universal ecosystem for users. In the future, EMUI 11 may become part of the Harmony OS system.

Harmony OS is a strategically important project for Huawei, as it can serve the company’s survival under the pressure of sanctions that prohibit the Chinese giant from doing business with American companies. Huawei is currently forced to ship its Android phones without Google services, making them less attractive outside of China.