Major Chinese internet companies are aggressively hiring app developers for projects based on Huawei’s mobile platform, HarmonyOS, this move aligns with Huawei’s strategy to reduce reliance on Google’s Android ecosystem.
E-commerce giant JD.com, video game company NetEase, and leading food delivery service Meituan are among several tech giants recruiting HarmonyOS app developers, according to online job platforms Maimai and liepin.com.
Meituan, for instance, posted a substantial list of jobs, including positions for HarmonyOS infrastructure engineers, offering monthly salaries ranging from $5,500 to $8,300 for experienced developers and those capable of contributing to research and development projects.
Both JD.com and NetEase are specifically seeking developers for applications designed for Huawei smartphones, indicating a growing interest in HarmonyOS development, this recruitment drive supports Huawei’s strategy to expand HarmonyOS adoption as an alternative ecosystem in China, as stated by the company’s founder and CEO, Ren Zhengfei, earlier this year, aiming to counter the impact of U.S. sanctions.
Currently, over 700 million devices run on HarmonyOS, with more than two million external developers building applications for the platform, according to Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group and head of the Smart Car Solutions business unit, during the company’s developer conference in August.
Yu explained that the next generation of Huawei’s mobile platform, HarmonyOS Next, will no longer support Android-based applications across all devices running the new operating system.
HarmonyOS Next removes support for open-source Android project code and only supports applications based on the HarmonyOS kernel, using the Hap installation format exclusively, the preview version of HarmonyOS Next is expected to launch in the first quarter of next year.
HarmonyOS was first introduced in August 2019 as Huawei’s alternative operating system, it came three months after Huawei was added to the U.S. Entity List, restricting the company from purchasing software, chips, and other technologies from American suppliers without Washington’s approval, including Google’s apps and services.
Android is immensely popular worldwide, holding a market share of nearly 70 percent.
Despite these challenges, Huawei is making strides in establishing its alternative ecosystem in China, with the surprise launch of the 5G-capable Mate 60 Pro in late August, its first 5G-enabled smartphone since the Mate 40 series in October 2020.
