Huawei HarmonyOS System

1、 Introduction
In today’s digital age, operating systems, as the core cornerstone of information technology, play a crucial role in the operation and development of various intelligent devices. For a long time, Android and iOS systems have dominated the mobile operating system market. However, the emergence of Huawei’s HarmonyOS system has brought new competitive landscape and development opportunities to this field. Since its first release in 2019, Huawei HarmonyOS has attracted widespread attention from the global technology community due to its unique technical architecture, cross platform capabilities, and open-source ecological concept. This article will provide a comprehensive and in-depth introduction to Huawei HarmonyOS, covering its development history, technical architecture, application scenarios, ecological construction, challenges and opportunities faced, as well as future prospects and other aspects.
2、 The Development History of Huawei HarmonyOS System
（1） Planning and Origin
Huawei began planning to develop its own operating system as early as 2012, which reflects Huawei’s keen insight into future technological trends and persistent pursuit of independently controllable technology. At that time, Huawei realized that the autonomy of the operating system, as a key link in information technology, was crucial for the long-term development of the enterprise. Therefore, Huawei has invested a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources in research and development, laying a solid foundation for the birth of the HarmonyOS system.
（2） Formal release and version iteration
On August 9, 2019, at the Huawei Developer Conference (HDC. 2019) held in Dongguan, Huawei officially released the distributed operating system HarmonyOS 1.0 for all scenarios. The release of this version marks an important step for Huawei in the field of operating systems, laying the foundation for future development.
Subsequently, the HarmonyOS system underwent multiple versions of iterative upgrades. On September 10, 2020, Huawei’s HarmonyOS system was upgraded to HarmonyOS 2.0, which has significantly improved device connectivity experience and application development. This version is suitable for some mobile phones, car phones, smart TVs and other devices, bringing more traffic entry points to applications and better connectivity experience to devices. At the same time, the system can also achieve one-time development, multi terminal deployment, unified OS, elastic deployment, and also has significant improvements in security and privacy.
On July 27, 2022, Huawei released HarmonyOS 3 system, which supports more devices to join the super terminal and improves HarmonyOS’s intelligent connectivity, universal card, smooth performance, privacy and security, and information accessibility. For example, watches equipped with this system also support listening to music during exercise, with more diverse card styles and the ability to upgrade their smart desktop layout with just one click.
On the afternoon of August 4, 2023, HarmonyOS 4 was officially released, which underwent comprehensive upgrades in terms of smoothness, intelligent interaction, privacy protection, and more. The official claims that its smoothness can soar by 30%, and it can save 1.2GB of running memory. At the same time, the functions of the system level intelligent assistant Xiaoyi have been further enhanced. It is not only an “encyclopedia”, but also a caring assistant that understands life and entertainment, providing users with more personalized services.
On January 18, 2024, Huawei released the native HarmonyOS Star River version, which is an important milestone in the development of the HarmonyOS system. On October 22, 2024, Huawei’s native HarmonyOS NEXT 5.0 was released, which is China’s first fully self-developed operating system and marks a breakthrough in the field of operating systems. It is also the third largest mobile operating system in the world after Apple’s iOS and Android systems.
（3） Market applications and user growth
With the iteration and upgrading of versions, the application of HarmonyOS system in the market is becoming increasingly widespread. As of October 20, 2024, HarmonyOS has installed over 1 billion HarmonyOS devices in the HarmonyOS ecosystem, and over 15000 applications and meta services have been launched, covering 18 vertical fields such as office, social, and entertainment. In the fourth quarter of 2024, HarmonyOS surpassed iOS for four consecutive quarters with a 19% market share in the Chinese market, firmly ranking second in the country and gradually establishing a local user base. On March 21, 2025, during the 2025 China Home Appliance and Consumer Electronics Expo, Yu Chengdong stated that HarmonyOS is expected to become one of the top three computer operating systems in the world. On May 8, Huawei’s first HarmonyOS computer was officially unveiled.
3、 The technical architecture of Huawei HarmonyOS system
（1） Layered design concept
HarmonyOS follows a layered design, with the kernel layer, system service layer, framework layer, and application layer arranged from bottom to top. This hierarchical design enables the system functions to be deployed step by step according to “system>subsystem>function/module”. In multi device deployment scenarios, it supports cutting certain non essential subsystems or functions/modules according to actual needs, improving the flexibility and scalability of the system.
（2） Kernel layer

1. Multi kernel design: The HarmonyOS system adopts a multi-core design, supporting the selection of suitable OS kernels for different resource constrained devices. In addition to microkernel, it also includes Linux macro kernel, LiteOS, etc., to meet the needs of different devices and provide rich hardware driver support. The microkernel itself is small and focused, containing only the most basic elements of system operation, such as thread management, inter process communication, and security control. This design makes the system core more robust, reduces the possibility of security vulnerabilities, and improves response speed to critical tasks. The Linux macro kernel brings mature operating system support, ensuring compatibility with existing ecosystems, especially in handling complex tasks and providing extensive hardware driver support. LiteOS, as a lightweight kernel, is designed specifically for resource constrained IoT devices, emphasizing low power consumption and fast startup.
2. Kernel Abstraction Layer (KAL): By shielding the differences between multiple kernels, it provides basic kernel capabilities to the upper layers, including process/thread management, memory management, file system, network management, and peripheral management, ensuring the convenience of development and the portability of applications.
3. Driver subsystem: The HarmonyOS Driver Framework (HDF) is the foundation of the HarmonyOS hardware ecosystem’s openness, providing unified peripheral access capabilities and a framework for driver development and management, making it convenient for developers to develop and manage hardware drivers.
   （3） System service layer
   The system service layer is the core capability set of HarmonyOS, which provides services to applications through the framework layer. It is mainly divided into the system basic capability subsystem set, the basic software service subsystem set, the enhanced software service subsystem set, and the hardware service subsystem set.
4. System basic capability subsystem set: provides basic capabilities for the operation, scheduling, migration, and other operations of distributed applications on HarmonyOS multi devices, consisting of distributed soft bus, distributed data management, distributed task scheduling, Ark multilingual runtime, common basic library, multi-mode input, graphics, security, AI and other subsystems. Among them, the distributed soft bus realizes efficient interconnection and intercommunication between devices; Distributed data management and distributed task scheduling ensure data consistency and flexible migration of tasks across multiple devices; The Ark runtime provides C/C++/JS multilingual runtime and basic system libraries, as well as runtime for Java programs (i.e. parts developed in Java language at the application or framework layer) that are statically compiled using the Ark compiler.
5. Basic software service subsystem set: Provides public and universal software services for HarmonyOS, consisting of subsystems such as event notification, telephone, multimedia, DFX, MSDP&DV, etc., focusing on performance optimization, reliability enhancement, etc., to improve the overall performance and user experience of the system.
6. Enhance software service subsystem set: Provide HarmonyOS with differentiated capability enhanced software services for different devices, consisting of subsystems such as smart screen proprietary services, wearable proprietary services, IoT proprietary services, etc., to meet the specific needs of different devices.
7. Hardware Service Subsystem Set: Provides hardware services for HarmonyOS, consisting of subsystems such as location services, biometric recognition, wearable proprietary hardware services, IoT proprietary hardware services, etc., supporting devices to acquire and utilize various hardware resources.
   （4） Framework layer
8. Multi language support: The framework layer supports multiple programming languages such as Java, C, C++, JavaScript, etc., allowing developers to use their familiar languages for development, reducing learning costs and improving development efficiency.
9. Ability Framework: This is a unique application model in the HarmonyOS system that defines the basic building blocks of an application – Ability. Each Ability represents a functional point of the application and can be dynamically loaded and unloaded as needed. It supports rapid migration and seamless integration across devices, simplifies distributed deployment and management of applications, and enables applications to adapt to diverse device environments.
10. UI/UX framework: Provides a unified user interface and user experience design framework, supporting developers to create beautiful, responsive, and adaptable user interfaces that can adapt to different screen sizes and resolutions, bringing users a good visual and operational experience.
11. Service invocation and communication mechanism: The framework layer has built-in efficient service discovery, binding, and communication mechanisms, allowing applications to easily invoke system services and services provided by other applications. It also supports service invocation between devices, which is the key to implementing distributed applications.
12. Security and Privacy Protection: The framework layer integrates a security framework to ensure the data security, permission management, and user privacy protection of the application. It follows strict permission control and encryption standards to provide users with a secure and reliable application environment.
    （5） Application layer
    The application layer includes system applications and third-party non system applications. The application of HarmonyOS consists of one or more Feature Abilities (FA) or Particle Abilities (PA). Among them, FA has a UI interface that provides the ability to interact with users; PA, on the other hand, lacks a UI interface and provides the ability to run tasks in the background as well as a unified data access abstraction. Applications developed based on FA/PA can achieve specific business functions, support cross device scheduling and distribution, and provide users with a consistent and efficient application experience.
    （4） Smart Home
    Smart speakers play music, query information, set reminders, etc., achieving comprehensive home intelligent control. Meanwhile, smart home devices from different brands can break down brand barriers and achieve seamless collaboration as long as they are equipped with the HarmonyOS system. For example, when the smart door lock detects that the owner has returned home, it can automatically link the smart lights to light up and the smart curtains to slowly open, creating a warm and comfortable home atmosphere. Moreover, the distributed capability of the HarmonyOS system enables smart home devices to share resources with other smart terminal devices such as smartphones and tablets. Users can project video content from their phones onto smart TVs and use smart speakers as external devices to enjoy a dual experience of large screen viewing and high-quality sound effects.
    （2） Smart wearable devices
    In the field of smart wearable devices, HarmonyOS has brought a brand new experience to smartwatches, smart bracelets, and more. After being equipped with the HarmonyOS system, smartwatches not only have precise motion monitoring functions, but also can record users’ real-time motion trajectory, steps, heart rate, sleep quality and other data, and can deeply collaborate with mobile phones. For example, when a mobile phone receives important information or a call, a smartwatch can promptly remind the user, and the user can view the information content or make simple replies on the watch without taking out their phone. In addition, the low-power characteristics of the HarmonyOS system improve the battery life of smart wearable devices, reducing the inconvenience of frequent charging for users. Moreover, by connecting with other devices in the HarmonyOS ecosystem, smartwatches can also achieve more personalized functions, such as providing users with customized exercise advice and health management solutions based on their exercise data and health status.
    （3） Intelligent car
    With the development of intelligent automobiles, HarmonyOS has also shown great potential in the field of intelligent vehicles. The HarmonyOS car operating system can achieve interconnectivity between vehicles and devices such as mobile phones and smart homes, creating a seamless intelligent travel ecosystem. In the car, users can control their smart devices at home through the car screen to prepare for going home in advance; You can also seamlessly transfer navigation information, music, and other content from your phone to the car’s infotainment system to continue enjoying convenient services. At the same time, the HarmonyOS system supports a rich application ecosystem, where users can install various entertainment, office, and lifestyle applications such as online videos, online meetings, etc. on the car’s infotainment system, making travel no longer boring. In addition, the HarmonyOS system also has strong security performance, which can ensure the security of vehicle information and the stable operation of the system, providing solid technical support for the development of intelligent vehicles.
    （4） Industrial Internet
    In the field of industrial Internet, the distributed architecture and low delay characteristics of Hongmeng system have significant advantages. It can be applied to the connection and management of industrial equipment, achieving real-time communication and data sharing between devices. For example, in intelligent manufacturing factories, various production equipment such as robots, CNC machines, sensors, etc. are connected into an organic whole through HarmonyOS systems to achieve automation and intelligent control of the production process. Production management personnel can remotely monitor the operation status and production progress of equipment through mobile phones or computers, timely discover and solve problems, and improve production efficiency and quality. Moreover, the security mechanism of Hongmeng system can guarantee the security of industrial data, prevent data leakage and malicious attacks, and provide reliable security guarantee for the development of industrial Internet.
    （5） Education field
    The HarmonyOS system also has broad application prospects in the field of education. It can be applied to smart educational devices, such as e-book bags, smart teaching tablets, etc. After being equipped with the HarmonyOS system, these devices can achieve rich educational functions. For example, students can access a vast amount of learning resources anytime and anywhere through electronic backpacks, including electronic textbooks, online courses, practice questions, etc; Teachers can use intelligent teaching tablets for multimedia teaching, achieving functions such as classroom interaction, homework assignment, and grading. At the same time, the distributed capability of the HarmonyOS system can also achieve interconnectivity between educational devices, such as real-time synchronization of students’ homework data to teachers’ devices, facilitating teachers’ evaluation and feedback. In addition, the security and stability of the HarmonyOS system can also ensure the smooth progress of education and teaching, providing students and teachers with a safe and reliable learning and teaching environment.
    5、 Ecological Construction of Huawei HarmonyOS System
    （1） Developer ecosystem
13. Development tools and resources: Huawei provides developers with a wealth of development tools and resources, including HarmonyOS development kits, development documentation, sample code, etc. The HarmonyOS development kit integrates a series of tools such as development, debugging, and testing to help developers efficiently develop applications. The development document provides a detailed introduction to the technical architecture, API interfaces, and other information of the HarmonyOS system, providing comprehensive technical guidance for developers. Sample code allows developers to quickly get started and understand how to implement various functions.
14. Training and Certification: Huawei has launched various forms of developer training activities, including online courses, offline training, seminars, etc., to help developers improve their development skills. At the same time, Huawei has also launched the HarmonyOS Developer Certification System, which allows certified developers to obtain corresponding certificates and benefits. This not only helps developers enhance their professional competitiveness, but also provides more opportunities for their development in the HarmonyOS ecosystem.
15. Incentive Plan: In order to attract more developers to participate in the construction of the HarmonyOS ecosystem, Huawei has launched various incentive plans. For example, Huawei App Market provides traffic support and financial rewards for excellent HarmonyOS applications, encouraging developers to develop more high-quality applications. In addition, Huawei has also held various application development competitions, providing generous bonuses and honors to award-winning developers, inspiring their innovation enthusiasm.
    （2） Application Ecology
16. Application listing and promotion: Huawei App Market, as the main distribution platform for HarmonyOS applications, provides developers with convenient application listing and promotion services. Developers can upload their developed applications to the Huawei App Market, and after review, they can be listed for sale. Huawei’s application market also promotes applications through various methods, such as homepage recommendations, special topic recommendations, etc., to increase the exposure and download volume of applications.
17. Cross device adaptation: The distributed capability of HarmonyOS enables applications to seamlessly adapt across different devices. Developers only need to develop an application once to adapt to various terminals such as smartphones, tablets, smart wearables, and smart cars, greatly reducing development costs and difficulties. At the same time, Huawei also provides cross device debugging and testing tools to help developers ensure compatibility and stability of applications on different devices.
18. Ecological cooperation and expansion: Huawei actively cooperates with major application vendors, content providers, etc. to jointly expand the HarmonyOS application ecosystem. For example, Huawei has collaborated with numerous well-known game developers to adapt popular games to the HarmonyOS system, bringing users a rich gaming experience; Cooperate with music, video and other content providers to provide users with a massive amount of music and video resources. In addition, Huawei also encourages developers to develop industry-specific applications to meet the needs of different industries and promote the widespread application of the HarmonyOS application ecosystem in various fields.
    （3） Hardware ecosystem
19. Chip cooperation: Huawei has collaborated with multiple chip manufacturers to jointly optimize the compatibility between HarmonyOS systems and chips. Through deep cooperation, fully leverage the performance advantages of chips to improve the operational efficiency and stability of HarmonyOS equipment. For example, Huawei maintains communication and cooperation with chip manufacturers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek to ensure that the HarmonyOS system can run smoothly on chips from different brands, providing hardware manufacturers with more choices.
20. Cooperation with equipment manufacturers: Huawei actively collaborates with major equipment manufacturers to promote the application of HarmonyOS systems on various smart devices. At present, many mobile phone manufacturers, home appliance manufacturers, automobile manufacturers, etc. have joined the HarmonyOS ecosystem and launched products such as mobile phones, smart TVs, smart refrigerators, and smart cars equipped with the HarmonyOS system. These device manufacturers have enhanced the competitiveness of their products by collaborating with Huawei and leveraging the technological advantages of HarmonyOS, while also providing users with a more intelligent and convenient user experience.
21. Open source community construction: Huawei has opened up the HarmonyOS system and established an open source community, attracting the participation of developers from around the world. The open source community provides a platform for developers to communicate and collaborate, where they can share code, exchange experiences, and work together to solve problems. Through the construction of open source communities, HarmonyOS has made more technological contributions and innovations, accelerating the iterative upgrading of the system and the development of the ecosystem.
    6、 Challenges and opportunities faced by Huawei HarmonyOS system
    （1） Challenges Faced
22. Ecological completeness: Although HarmonyOS has made some progress in ecological construction, compared with Android and iOS systems, its application ecology and hardware ecology are not yet perfect. In terms of application quantity and quality, there is still a certain gap between the HarmonyOS app market and the Android and iOS app stores. Some popular apps may not be fully compatible with the HarmonyOS system, which may affect users’ experience and choices. In terms of hardware ecosystem, although many manufacturers have joined the HarmonyOS ecosystem, the coverage of device types and brands is not wide enough and needs further expansion.
23. User habits and cognition: For a long time, users have been accustomed to using Android and iOS systems, and there are certain cognitive barriers and difficulty in changing their usage habits for the new operating system. Some users may have doubts about the security, stability, compatibility, and other aspects of the HarmonyOS system, fearing that they may encounter various problems after replacing the operating system. Therefore, how to change users’ cognition and usage habits, and improve their acceptance of the HarmonyOS system, is an important challenge faced by the HarmonyOS system.
24. International market expansion: In the international market, HarmonyOS faces many political, economic, and technological challenges. Some countries may restrict and suppress China for political purposes, affecting the promotion and application of the HarmonyOS system in these countries. At the same time, the international market competition is fierce, and Android and iOS systems have already occupied most of the market share. HarmonyOS needs to continuously improve its competitiveness in technology, ecology, marketing, and other aspects in order to gain a foothold in the international market.
25. Technological updates and competition: Operating system technology is developing rapidly, and competitors are constantly introducing new technologies and features. The HarmonyOS system needs to continuously invest a large amount of research and development resources, carry out technological innovation and upgrading, in order to maintain its competitiveness. Otherwise, it may fall behind its competitors in technology, affecting its market position and development prospects.
    （2） Opportunities Faced
26. National policy support: In recent years, the country has attached great importance to the development of the information technology industry and introduced a series of policies to support the research and application of domestic operating systems. Huawei HarmonyOS, as a representative of domestic operating systems, has received strong support from national policies. The support of policies provides strong guarantees for the research and development, promotion, and ecological construction of the HarmonyOS system, which contributes to its rapid development in the domestic market.
27. Development of 5G and the Internet of Things: With the popularization of 5G technology and the rapid development of the Internet of Things, the number and types of smart devices continue to increase, and the demand for operating systems is becoming increasingly diverse. The distributed architecture and cross platform capabilities of HarmonyOS perfectly adapt to this development trend, providing a unified operating system solution for various intelligent devices. Driven by 5G and the Internet of Things, Hongmeng system is expected to be more widely used in smart home, smart car, industrial Internet and other fields, expanding market space.