Huawei’s Android alternative may arrive much earlier than it was being reported a couple of weeks ago. According to the Chinese newspaper Global Times, the new operating system could launch as early as August 2019. It would launch as “HongMeng OS” in China, followed by a global rollout, where it would be called “Oak OS”.
Huawei testing Oak OS
Huawei has been developing its own mobile operating system for some time now. It has sped up the work following a trade ban with American companies, including Google (Android), last month. The beleaguered Chinese giant now seems to be almost ready with its Android alternative. It has reportedly begun testing the new OS.
“Huawei is intensively testing its own operating system, to be named “HongMeng OS” for China market or “Oak OS” for overseas market, which is likely to be launched in August or September,” Global Times quotes a source as saying.
Google, meanwhile, has warned the US government of potential security risks regarding the blacklisting of Huawei. Apparently, the web giant is worried that Huawei will roll out an OS that would be less secure than Android. Huawei’s system is likely to have more bugs in it than Android, making its phones more susceptible to hacks. “Our focus is protecting the security of Google users on the millions of existing Huawei handsets in the US and around the world,” Financial Times quoted Google as saying.
The Oak OS will be an Android-based system (via the Android Open Source Project). While most of the existing Android apps should be compatible with the new OS, it won’t have the access to Google Play Store. Of course Huawei have its own app store, but can it bring all apps from the Play Store to its store is something to look forward to. Reportedly, Facebook is stopping Huawei from pre-installing its apps on the company’s upcoming phones, further compounding its problems.
