Huawei to roll out its own operating system to smartphones

HONG KONG (AP) — Huawei is launching its own HarmonyOS mobile operating system on its handsets as it adapts to losing access to Google mobile services two years ago after the U.S. put the Chinese telecommunications company on a trade blacklist.

Huawei was expected to announce the launch of HarmonyOS on Wednesday for various devices including smartphones and tablets.

The company is still cut off from essential American technologies including Google’s mobile services and some computer chips needed to power its devices after the U.S. put it on an entity list, saying Huawei might aid China’s espionage efforts — an accusation the company vehemently denies.

Huawei’s inclusion on the entity list restricts American companies from doing business with the Chinese telecommunications equipment and smartphone maker. The blacklist has been a critical blow for Huawei, which has relied on essential technologies from the U.S.

Once the world’s largest smartphone maker, Huawei fell out of the top five list globally last year, nudged aside by South Korea’s Samsung, according to data from market research firm Canalys.

Other Chinese smartphone makers such as Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo have since overtaken Huawei in terms of global sales. Huawei currently ranks seventh globally and third in China, following a 50% drop in smartphone shipments in the first quarter of this year compared to last year.

Last November, Huawei also sold its budget Honor smartphone brand as it sought to cushion the impact of U.S. sanctions.

Huawei’s HarmonyOS smartphone rollout is a workaround for its lack of access to Google services, especially for smartphones that it sells abroad. While handsets that were sold prior to Huawei's blacklisting continue to run Google services, its newer devices will have no access to...