Further details about Huawei’s Android replacement OS have leaked, including screenshots and a release timeframe.
Chinese newspaper Global Times reports Huawei’s OS will be called ‘HongMeng’ locally and ‘Oak’ in overseas markets.
Here are some typically blurry photos of Huawei’s OS:
While it’s a small glimpse at the OS, there are clear similarities to iOS over Android. We don’t know how early or late in development these screenshots were taken but it’s not the most exciting design.
Until recent events, Huawei likely felt it had time on its hands to work on its OS. The recent ban from accessing US technology and standards groups, of which it’s been granted a reprieve, likely sped up its plans and we could see a fairly barebones release if the world’s second largest smartphone manufacturer is forced.
If you squint at the middle screenshot you’ll notice it says “Android Green Alliance Standard,” adding credibility to Huawei’s OS being forked from Android. At the very least, it can run Android apps.
Richard Yu, Huawei Consumer Business CEO, said the company’s OS is "designed for the next generation of technology" and "will be available in the fall of this year and at the latest next spring."
Further details about Huawei’s OS are sparse, but Yu says it will be “open to mobile phones, computers, tablets, TVs, cars and smart wearable devices," and "compatible with all Android applications and all web applications."
Huawei has been working on its alternative OS since a 2012 US investigation into the company and fellow Chinese firm ZTE. According to one FT source, Google has been making the point to the Trump administration that banning Huawei would force it to create a forked version of Android that’s “more at risk of being hacked, not least by China.”
The new OS is expected to be released in August or September.
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