HUAWEI HarmonyOS Next Beta launched: "will not support Android APKs natively"

HUAWEI announces its latest operating system that fully departs from using Android APKs called the HarmonyOS next.

The HarmonyOS Next logo

HUAWEI HarmonyOS Next Beta launched!

The announcement was made at the HUAWEI Developer Conference (HDC) 2024.

The news comes following years of development for HarmonyOS, also known as Hongmeng on the mainland. The China-developed operating system abandons the Linux kernel and the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) codebase in favor of a completely unique architecture based on Huawei's Hongmeng kernel and system.

HUAWEI states that because the OS is built from scratch, the new system design improves total machine performance by 30 percent while reducing power consumption by 20 percent.

HarmonyOS NEXT is now under beta testing and seeks developers as well as a restricted number of pioneer users of around 3,000. Those interested should be advised that the beta version may be unstable, resulting in data incompatibility concerns.

Improved user interface

One of HarmonyOS NEXT's key features is its ability to fill the distance between devices. Based on Huawei, developers simply need to produce one version of an app to offer a consistent user experience across all screen sizes in the Huawei ecosystem. This was demonstrated at the conference when popular apps including Taobao, Yiche, and Bilibili ran perfectly across many devices.

In addition, HarmonyOS NEXT includes an intriguing "App Continuation" feature. Envision initiating a video conference on your tablet and smoothly transferring it to your phone with a single click. The solution also enables seamless data sharing between devices. For example, you can effortlessly transfer an image from your phone to your tablet while working on a document.

Seamless device collaboration

The new OS also boasts built-in AI also known as Harmony Intelligence. It has AIGC image generation that makes distinctive images from line drawings, coloring existing pictures, or even expanding them,

Next is the AI sound repair, an industry first as per HUAWEI, a feature that intends to aid users with speech disorders by improving communication.

The AI also helps visually impaired users to read pictures by speaking out the content which should enable users to identify the objects nearby.

HarmonyOS NEXT enables third-party programs to use the platform's AI for capabilities such as real-time text reading, smart form filling, and image/text translations.

The firm's virtual assistant, Xiaoyi, has received an update with HarmonyOS NEXT, now known as "Xiaoyi Intelligent Agent," which uses the strength of Pangu Big Model 5.0. Xiaoyi no longer needs a wake word and can be "summoned" by simply dragging and dropping content into the menu bar. This enables a more intuitive interface in which Xiaoyi may assess the material and recommend appropriate actions, such as creating a chart from an image or summarizing a paper.

The phone maker also boasts its upgraded security called the Star Shield to keep user's data safe implementing several functions like strict app vetting where codes that don't meet the standards are prevented from being installed. 

There's also Multi-device data encryption where Data is encrypted end-to-end across several devices for added security.

Next is the Hardware-level encryption where individual files are secured using unique keys saved on the phone's hardware.

Finally, there's also permission control where unnecessary app permissions are not allowed to reduce privacy dangers.

For now, HUAWEI says users may expect a commercial launch by the fourth quarter of 2024. Currently, the OS is in the beta testing phase, and HUAWEI is actively searching for developers and early users to give feedback and help refine the software.

What do you guys think?

Source: HC NEWSROOM