Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

HarmonyOS, the operating system (O/S) developed by Chinese tech giant Huawei, has become the second most popular mobile O/S in the China market in the first quarter, surpassing Apple's iOS and following only Android, according to Counterpoint Research.

This milestone signals the rapid growth of the domestic O/S sector and marks a new stage in the competition in China's O/S market.

Given that US sanctions have restricted access to key Google services, the achievements of HarmonyOS are noteworthy. They highlight the rapid growth of China's innovation ecosystem and suggest that Washington's technology war to contain China's technological development is counterproductive.

In the age of mobile internet services, iOS and Android have long maintained a strong competitive advantage, dominating the market on billions of mobile devices worldwide. Despite facing challenges from US technology restrictions, HarmonyOS has rapidly emerged as a formidable contender, surpassing expectations and gaining traction in the global market.

From a domestic market share of 8 percent in the first quarter of 2023, HarmonyOS made significant progress, rising to 17 percent in the first quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, the market share of iOS fell from 20 percent to 16 percent, Counterpoint data showed, indicating a potential shift in consumer preferences. 

In terms of the global market share of mobile O/S, both Android and iOS saw decreases of 1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, with market shares of 77 percent and 19 percent. Huawei's HarmonyOS global market share doubled to 4 percent in the same period, indicating strong growth momentum.

Higher market share doesn't mean the end of competition. In order for HarmonyOS to maintain its advantage in fierce market competition, it needs to make further efforts in ecosystem construction. Objective analysis is needed to evaluate the advantages and challenges faced by HarmonyOS.

One key advantage of HarmonyOS is its emphasis on cross-device compatibility, allowing for smooth integration across various smart devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearables and smart home appliances. This interoperability provides a consistent user experience and enhances convenience for app developers to join the HarmonyOS ecosystem.

The reason why HarmonyOS has been able to achieve its current market share is largely due to Huawei's excellent hardware. In July 2021, the Huawei P50 series was unveiled as the first phones with HarmonyOS. The Huawei Mate 60 pro, which was released in August 2023 with the HarmonyOS, has also achieved good sales.

Huawei is also continuously improving its software services. HarmonyOS has a unique advantage in terms of smoothness, interface design, personalization and security compared with iOS or Android.

One obvious challenge facing HarmonyOS is attracting third-party app developers to create optimized apps for the O/S. Compared with Android and iOS, the HarmonyOS app ecosystem is still relatively underdeveloped and needs to attract more developers to enrich the variety of apps, improve app quality and meet user needs.

Market acceptance is also a challenge for HarmonyOS. While Huawei's hardware advantages and brand influence definitely help, HarmonyOS needs to build a developed app ecosystem rapidly to achieve broader acceptance.

The breakthrough by HarmonyOS is a good start, but competition in the Chinese ecosystem is just beginning. Huawei is now working on the second phase of HarmonyOS development - HarmonyOS Next, which aims for favorable comparisons with the Android O/S in the China market.

Amid increasing technological blockades and suppression by the US, innovation in China's mobile O/S sector is accelerating. In addition to the rapidly developing HarmonyOS, domestic smartphone manufacturers Xiaomi and Vivo have released proprietary mobile O/S that do not rely on Android, according to media reports. 

For Chinese mobile device O/S developers, building their own brand ecosystems won't be easy, but they are confident about overcoming obstacles. To achieve long-term sustainable development, they need innovative strategies and continuous efforts in ecosystem construction, technological innovation and expansion of their market reach.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn