Huawei's HarmonyOS Reportedly to Allow Google Play Services Interoperability, Weibo Tipster Reveals

The news comes as numerous smartphone devices such as the foldable Mate X2, Mate 30, MatePad Pro and others have begun receiving notifications to upgrade from EMUI 11 to the new operating system. The developments reveal major competition with the world's top tech firms, reports show.
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Huawei's HarmonyOS 2.0 operating system will reportedly allow compatibility with Google Play Services and Play Store, according to Huawei Central, citing a Weibo tipster.

The tipster used a Mate 40 Pro+ and found the most recent developer beta build revealed Google Services were not affected after upgrading to HarmonyOS.

Users have reported smoother functionality than Android OS but have voiced concerns on whether Google's software suite, which includes Google Pay, Docs, Sheets and others will not be affected by the switch.

Further issues such as Huawei's plans with Google amid the ongoing US trade war on China or use of APK application files used in Android, among others concerns.

The news has sparked fears that China could avoid sanctions and boost earnings in Africa's mobile ecosystem, the Washington Post reported in early May.

"The launch of Harmony represents the first major Chinese foray into the world of operating systems that two U.S. companies, Apple and Google, have dominated to date," the article read.

Huawei May Allow Chinese Smartphone Firms to Use HarmonyOS to Counter Trump Trade Bans, Report Says
The developments come amid Huawei's battle in the ongoing tech war with Washington, and despite smartphone sales decreasing 17 percent in 2021, the Chinese tech giant's AppGallery had seen major gains last year, with 2.3m registered developers and 530m monthly active users (MAUs) across 170 countries the same period.

Richard Yu, chief executive of consumer BG, announced at an event in January that Chinese smartphone firms would be allowed to use HarmonyOS if blocked from Google in the future.

The news comes after the former Trump administration blacklisted Huawei, ZTE and dozens of Chinese tech firms in 2019, citing national security concerns, and later designated the former two as national security risks a year later.

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