Huawei’s HarmonyOS extends lead over iOS in China, builds out independent ecosystem

Huawei Harmony OS

Huawei’s HarmonyOS has held its ground as China’s second-largest mobile operating system, beating Apple’s iOS for the sixth straight quarter. The homegrown platform captured 17% of the market in Q2, edging past iOS at 16%, according to new figures from Counterpoint Research. Android continues to dominate with a 66% share.

Counterpoint credited Huawei’s Nova series smartphones for driving HarmonyOS adoption, while the foldable Pura X also performed strongly. The report underlines how Huawei’s software push has become a cornerstone of its broader strategy to insulate itself from US technology sanctions.

Globally, HarmonyOS still trails far behind, powering just 4% of smartphones sold last quarter compared to Android’s 79% and iOS’s 17%. But inside China, its momentum is clear. Since launching in 2019 as a response to Washington’s trade blacklist, Huawei has steadily positioned HarmonyOS as a viable alternative to Android.

The company doubled down last year with HarmonyOS Next, an upgraded version that dropped support for Android apps entirely. The newest release, HarmonyOS 5, dubbed “pure blood” in China, is already installed on 17 million devices, Huawei said at its Connect 2025 conference.

To expand its developer ecosystem, Huawei has also rolled out Tiangong, a programme offering 1 billion yuan (US$140.5 million) in subsidies to attract app makers from different industries.

“Huawei has already built an ecosystem entirely independent of the United States,” said Tao Jingwen, a senior Huawei executive, last month. That independence extends beyond software: Huawei recently unveiled a public road map for its Ascend AI processors, signalling its intent to compete directly with US chipmakers like Nvidia.

For now, HarmonyOS remains a largely China-focused success. But its steady rise at home may provide Huawei the confidence to take its “pure blood” system global.