The agreement comes as Huawei continues to compete with Apple's iOS and Google's Android in the Chinese market.

According to a Huawei representative, its fellow Chinese partner JD.com will build the application on the next-generation improved operating system version, which will feature support for multi-purpose switching.

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The next version of the HarmonyOS operating system will not support Android applications.

Richard Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business, said the partnership marks a significant new milestone for HarmonyOS.

According to Canadian research firm TechInsights, with the increasing number of Chinese internet companies emerging, Huawei is pushing for the widespread adoption of its own HarmonyOS operating system, which is expected to surpass Apple's iOS to become the second-largest operating system in China this year.

According to TechInsights, while Google's Android and Apple's iOS continue to dominate the global smartphone operating system market, HarmonyOS will gain an advantage over both American giants in the Chinese market, thanks to the resurgence of Huawei with its Mate 60 smartphone.

HarmonyOS was created to replace Android in 2019, after the US Department of Commerce placed Huawei on its "entity list." Under this trade blacklist, the mainland tech giant is prohibited from purchasing software, chips, and other US-origin technologies from suppliers without Washington's approval.

HarmonyOS Next, expected to launch this year, will not support Android-based applications. A preview version of the operating system will launch in Q1 2024, and Huawei is stepping up collaborations with other major Chinese companies to develop applications.

Ant Group, the fintech arm of Alibaba Group Holding, said last month that it is building a new version of its Alipay mobile payment app based on HarmonyOS.

Meanwhile, JD.com, along with gaming giant NetEase and food delivery market leader Meituan, have also begun recruiting engineers to build native applications for HarmonyOS.

McDonald's China – with a network of over 5,500 restaurants and more than 200,000 employees – has become one of the first multinational food companies in mainland China to adopt HarmonyOS Next.

(According to SCMP)

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