Chinese tech giant Huawei recently filed a patent for an operating system called Harmony. It’ll be applicable to not only smartphones but also computers. Here’s what we know about the OS patent.

Huawei filed this OS with the European Union Intellectual Property Office on July 12, according to GSMArena. The Harmony OS is currently being tested as of now. The patent filing didn’t have much details about the Harmony OS outside of its computer and mobile use. The patent doesn’t also say if it’s different from Hongmeng OS.

While information about Harmony is scant, the Hongmeng OS is the smartphone operating system that Huawei has been working in secret since 2015 according to reports. The Huawei ban in the US and the tension between US-China relations has brought this OS development to light. Potentially, this new technology could help add more competition in the smartphone OS market.

As of now, the leading smartphone operating systems are still Apple and Android. Since the start of the smartphones, both of these companies have enjoyed the top spot for long. Microsoft has already withdrawn from this race as they’ve recently decommissioned the Windows Phone OS. The company has already provided services to help their users to transfer to either of the two leading smartphone OS providers.

Huawei is still using Android OS as of now since the new ban has happened. However, the company is already planning to roll out the Hongmeng OS soon. Huawei’s own brew of smartphone OS is still compatible to many Android apps which makes it smooth transition for many of its owners.

So far, the company has filed patents to Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Indonesia, the European Union, Switzerland, Spain, India, and Thailand. Potentially, Harmony and the Hongmeng OS could be the same thing as both Huawei operating systems are filed to the European Union.

Currently, Huawei has yet to officially launch their new OS to the public. Their current work lies with the foldable Huawei Mate X. Following Samsung’s problems with their own foldable device, Huawei also announced that they’ll also be working on their own device. During this development, any new operating systems to the device have not been mentioned.

Huawei Mate 20
The next Apple 11 is said to have a triple-lens camera like the Huawei Mate 20. Pictured: Pedestrians walk past a poster advertising Huawei's Mate 20 smartphone in Beijing on December 28, 2018. - Chinese telecoms giant Huawei expects to see a 21 percent rise in revenue for 2018, its chairman said on December 27, despite a year of 'unfair treatment' which saw its products banned in several countries over security concerns. AFP/Getty Images/Wang Zhao
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