Huawei Oak OS to Reportedly Launch in August or September 2019

After the most recent controversy between Huawei and Google, Google finally decided to pull the plug on Huawei. This was due to the incident with the US government, and now Huawei’s Android license has been revoked. They are given a grace period of 90 days, following which nothing is certain. From Huawei’s perspective, they have only two options for them now. One is to make amends with the US and continue having good relations with Google, and another is to find an alternate OS to replace Android on their devices.

Reports have come in about the latter being the choice taken by Huawei. As per these reports from Global Times, Huawei is working on a new OS called the “HongMeng OS” for China. As for the other regions of the world, the name that has come across is “Oak OS,” which will have a launch date of August or September this year.

#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, sources say. https://t.co/hqA7JJdjjS

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 7, 2019

The news about a new OS from Huawei has been around for a while, but this new report has put a timeline for it. Previously, it was believed that the OS would be called the ARK OS; however, these new reports suggest otherwise. If this new OS comes into the market soon, it will be a direct rival to Android. The problem lies with the availability of apps for Huawei, but they seem to be in talks with Aptoide. Aptoide is a Play Store alternative for downloading the latest apps that Huawei might use to enable smartphone users to download apps onto their phones directly. On top of it, Huawei also has the AppGallery app on their smartphone that lets users directly download .apk files of the different apps. AppGallery is still a temporary solution as compared to Aptoide, which is a centralized app store for Android devices. So, cutting a deal with Aptoide might solve Huawei’s problems.

Huawei’s ban came into effect starting from May 20, following which Huawei only has 90 days left on their clock for using Google services. For these 90 days, Huawei’s phones will continue receiving timely app and security updates. Post this 90 days, though; it is a different ball game altogether.