When HarmonyOS XNUMX was introduced as Huawei's new device operating system to compete with Android or iOS, we expected to see it on the company's new devices, and it came as a surprise when the old phones launched. But an even bigger surprise has just arrived. A selection of Honor devices have now been added to the HarmonyOS XNUMX compatibility list (via RealmiCentral). Some of these phones were already eligible to download the beta version of the operating system, but now they can use the full version of the software. These phones include the Honor XNUMX series and Honor View XNUMX series, which today run Android, as they were released before Huawei's ban and before the introduction of HarmonyOS. All of the devices are Honor sold before Huawei, which means it's not totally surprising that they're now allowed to get HarmonyOS, but we always would have imagined that Honor wouldn't want its older devices to be associated with its old parent company. It's not clear if people using a selectable Honor phone can upgrade immediately, or if HarmonyOS XNUMX is slowly being rolled out to these devices; current reports of who's getting the update are from China, which would surely be the first place to get the update. If you have a recent Honor flagship phone, you can tell if the update is available by going to the Settings app, going to the About Phone menu, and seeing if you can find an update here.
(Image credit: Huawei)
Analysis: goodbye to Android?
Older Huawei phones that were eligible for the HarmonyOS update used Android, but this is the first time non-Huawei phones running Google's operating system have accessed the update. In addition to this, unlike Huawei devices, some of these Honor phones have access to Google mobile services, including the Google Play Store, Gmail, and Maps, which the Huawei ban removed from the company's devices (including Honor). in the middle of two thousand and nineteen. Since Huawei and HarmonyOS devices don't yet have access to GMS, they rely on Huawei's AppGallery, like Petal Search, which lets you install apps directly from the web page. This is a good solution to the "no apps" issue, although some popular apps are missing. Therefore, if you switch from an older Honor phone to HarmonyOS, you may lose access to certain key services and platforms. Will other brands follow in Honor's footsteps? Some time ago we heard rumors that Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Meizu were considering offering HarmonyOS on their phones. A subsequent report suggested that Nokia phones could use it as well. The honor of letting your old devices take the plunge is a huge sign of trust in the nascent operating system, albeit a confusing one since Android has considerably more apps than HarmonyOS. We imagine most brands will wait until HarmonyOS has access to a wider variety of apps, including premium and paid apps, before seriously considering letting their phones run the operating system. But the update to Honor phones is a small step that increases the likelihood of that future.