HarmonyOS 2.0 beta now available for Huawei P30 and Mate 30 Pro 5G

Beta versions of HarmonyOS 2.0 have started rolling out to more devices, including the Huawei P30 and Mate 30 Pro 5G. You can see it running on real hardware in the videos below.

Finally... A video of #HarmonyOS Beta 1 on #Huawei Mate 30 with #EMUI11 on top.

There is not so much to see. Apart from how Android apps are fluid. I doubt that they are native apps.
However, what could make Harmony OS so fast to running android apps? Can't wait to discover :) pic.twitter.com/yyiVbHztza

— Marco Improda (@marcoimproda90) January 21, 2021

If the interface looks familiar, this is because it’s EMUI 11, which was developed with both Harmony and Android in mind. Also, Huawei’s in-house OS fully supports Android apps, so everything from the App Gallery should work. Here are some Android apps running on the P30:

Android apps live demo.

Sorry I had to split it. Twitter didn't like one file. pic.twitter.com/88TKXWKnaN

— Marco Improda (@marcoimproda90) January 21, 2021

The latest posts on Weibo from people running the new firmware indicate that HarmonyOS is not based on Android, despite previous reports. It does have that compatibility Android compatibility layer, though, which blurs the distinction.

HarmonyOS 2.0 beta update: Huawei P30 • Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G

OpenHarmony, the open-source core of the OS, is hosted on Gitee, China’s alternative to Microsoft-owned GitHub. Also, the OS is part of the OpenAtom Foundation, which has Huawei as a platinum-level donor, of course, but also Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba and others. This mirrors the Open Handset Alliance, which is in charge of Android OS (it's about ensuring cooperation more than about who does most of the development).

Anyway, HarmonyOS 2.0 beta has already reached some devices and many more may be eligible. Newly-independent Honor is considering its options and has not ruled out using Harmony (even though using GMS appears to be back on the table).

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