Huawei set to launch Android rival

Huawei is set to launch a rival to Google’s Android operating system.

Dubbed Harmony, it will be featured on the firm’s smartphones from next year.

The software was first unveiled in 2019, but wasn’t then ready for commercial use.

Now the Chinese firm has a more advanced 2.0 version.

And from December it will open up the software to developers who want to start building apps.

Huawei has been subject to U.S. restrictions since May last year.

That has barred Google from providing support for new phones from the firm.

Since then Huawei has suffered a slump in overseas handset sales, offset by a surge in domestic orders.

At a developers’ conference Thursday (September 10) the company said software shortages were hurting.

In August the U.S. stepped up restrictions, cutting off Huawei’s access to chips featuring U.S. technology.

Now an independent operating system could solve one part of the company’s problems.

Huawei says Harmony will power watches and laptops as well as phones, saying that makes it more than just an Android alternative.