Huawei offers 200 times fewer apps for HarmonyOS than Google Play – the gap is planned to close within a year

Huawei expects the number of applications for its HarmonyOS software platform to reach 100,000 in the coming months. The number now exceeds 15,000, but the ecosystem needs applications with a higher degree of personalization and specialization, said company chairman Xu Zhijun.

«According to our analysis, for the Harmony ecosystem to reach maturity and meet consumer needs, the 100,000 app milestone must be surpassed. This is a key goal for the next 6-12 months,” Reuters quotes Mr. Xu’s speech published on the WeChat platform. Tensions between China and the US continue to escalate in various areas, with US President-elect Donald Trump threatening to tighten policy towards China. In this regard, the country needs to accelerate the development of its own technologies.

Huawei launched its operating system five years ago when it lost Google’s support in the Android ecosystem due to US sanctions. Today, many of the company’s products run on its own open platform, HarmonyOS. The sanctions forced Huawei to “accelerate the development of its own operating system,” Mr. Xu noted. However, despite the progress made, “any operating system, no matter how advanced, is of no value if no one uses it.”

The Chairman of Huawei expressed the hope that developers will continue to expand the range of applications, and called on government authorities and public organizations to begin implementing HarmonyOS in their work. He asked consumers to be understanding about the immaturity of the platform and reminded: “The more people use it, the faster it will become mature.”

«No path back to victory leads. Huawei will continuously invest in the development of the Harmony ecosystem and strive to make the impossible possible,” the head of the company promised.

While Huawei’s aspirations are commendable, it is still a long way from market-dominant Apple and Google. According to various sources, the Apple App Store now offers about 2 million applications, and Google Play – more than 3 million.