Update: Over 900 mln devices operate with Huawei's HarmonyOS

SHENZHEN, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tech giant Huawei's HarmonyOS operating system, a rival to Apple's iOS and Google's Android, has built a vibrant ecosystem featuring more than 900 million devices, the company said Friday.

Yu Chengdong, Huawei's executive director, made the announcement during the company's annual developer conference held in the city of Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province.

A total of 2.54 million developers have joined the construction of the HarmonyOS ecosystem, according to Yu. More than 1,500 apps are available for use, he said.

HarmonyOS, or Hongmeng in Chinese, is an open-source operating system designed for various devices and scenarios, including intelligent screens, tablets, wearables and cars. It was first launched in August 2019.

Yu said the Chinese-developed HarmonyOS, which has evolved to the fourth iteration, has redrawn the bipolar landscape of mobile operating systems, providing an independent and reliable new option for the world.

"HarmonyOS boasts the multi-purpose advantage, allowing an app to go through one development to suit various platforms, thus reducing the cost for developers," Zhang Ning, ecology director of WPS Office, a software suite similar to Microsoft Office. ■