HarmonyOS from Huawei reaches a “survival line” with 27 million users.

HarmonyOS 6, the latest iteration, was initially made available to developers in June and released to Chinese consumers in October HarmonyOS, Huawei Technologies’ self-developed operating system, has crossed the threshold of 27 million users, a sign that the company’s efforts to take on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android are paying off.

In announcing the user numbers for its latest iterations – HarmonyOS 5 and HarmonyOS 6 – the Shenzhen-based tech giant referred to the milestone as a “survival line” for the company.

The platform also boasted an ecosystem of over 10 million developers. User engagement crossed milestones, too, with more than 100,000 new devices activated on a daily basis, as well as over 88 million daily downloads and updates recorded for applications, according to the company.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? SCMP Knowledge, our brand-new platform of curated content featuring explanations, frequently asked questions (FAQs), analyses, and infographics created by our award-winning team, is where you can find the answers. The latest figures, which come six years after the company first launched the operating system to counter Washington’s sanctions on its access to Android, reflected how Huawei’s efforts to develop an alternative for the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers were paying off.

Huawei has been transitioning its own devices to the operating system since 2021, ramping up efforts after the US placed the company on its Entity List in 2019 over national security concerns. The privately held firm has since expanded HarmonyOS beyond smartphones and tablets.

HarmonyOS 6, the latest iteration, was initially made available to developers in June and released to Chinese consumers in October. That came roughly a year after it launched HarmonyOS 5 in late 2024.
Notably, the most recent version has a new feature that is similar to Apple’s AirDrop and allows for the first time for direct file transfers between Huawei and Apple devices. According to data released by Counterpoint Research in September, HarmonyOS maintained its lead over Apple for the sixth consecutive quarter by accounting for 17% of China’s smartphone operating systems, surpassing iOS’s 16% share. HarmonyOS was China’s second-largest mobile operating system behind Android, which had a dominant 66 per cent share in the quarter, according to Counterpoint.

HarmonyOS’s growing popularity was largely due to Huawei’s resurgence in the domestic smartphone market. According to the latest data from research firm BCI, Huawei reclaimed its spot as China’s top smartphone vendor in the last week of November and first week of December, overtaking Apple, following the launch of its flagship Mate 80 series.
The Mate 80 series, including the basic Mate 80, Mate 80 Pro, Mate 80 Pro Max and Mate 80 RS models, as well as the foldable Mate X7, was released in late November.