Huawei’s own mobile operating system, HarmonyOS, became more popular in mainland China throughout 2024, which is the world’s largest smartphone market. The company is getting ready to release a new phone with the latest version of HarmonyOS, which doesn’t support Android apps.
Huawei’s HarmonyOS Sees Growth in China in 2024
For the fourth quarter in a row, HarmonyOS had a larger market share than Apple’s iOS in China during the three months ending on December 31. It reached a 19% market share, according to the latest data from Counterpoint Research released on Wednesday.
Huawei’s own mobile operating system increased its market share to 19% in the December quarter, up from 16% a year ago and higher than its 17% share in previous quarters of 2024. However, Android remained the top operating system in China with a 64% share, while iOS dropped to 17%, down from 20% last year.
Global Market Share: Android Leads, Apple Holds Second
Globally, Android led with a 74% market share, followed by Apple at 22%. HarmonyOS, still only available in China, stayed at a 4% global share throughout 2024.
A few weeks ago, Huawei teased the launch of a new smartphone powered by HarmonyOS Next, the latest version of its mobile platform, which is expected to boost the adoption of its operating system. The official launch of HarmonyOS Next and the new device, which is rumored to be a foldable smartphone, will happen on March 20, the company announced on Thursday.
Due to trade sanctions, Huawei’s own mobile operating system cannot access US technologies, so it has been pushing for the use of HarmonyOS Next, which no longer supports Android apps.
Since its beta release last October, Huawei’s own mobile operating system has gone through 30 different versions and received over 4 million pieces of user feedback, according to Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group.
Over 20,000 native apps and services are now available on HarmonyOS Next, with 20 apps having more than 2 million downloads. Huawei expects all its smartphones and tablets to run the new operating system this year.
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