In an effort to strengthen its own software ecosystem, China’s Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) has announced that it will not enable Android apps on the most recent version of its proprietary Harmony operating system, according to local financial newspaper Caixin.

According to a corporate statement announcing the platform’s launch event on Thursday in Shenzhen, the business intends to release a developer version of its HarmonyOS Next platform in the second quarter of this year and a full commercial version in the fourth.

Following constraints in the United States that prevented it from accessing Google’s technical help for its Android mobile operating system, Huawei first presented its own Harmony system in 2019 and got ready to debut it on a few handsets a year later.

But according to Caixin, older iterations of Harmony permitted the operation of Android-based apps on the system, which will no longer be feasible.

A request for response from Huawei was not answered.
Unexpectedly releasing its Mate60 line of smartphones in August of last year, they are thought to be powered on a processor set that was produced domestically by Huawei.

After struggling for years due to U.S. sanctions, the release was widely seen as Huawei’s comeback into the high-end smartphone market.

According to an internal memo last month, the company anticipates revenue in 2023 to surpass 700 billion yuan ($97.3 billion), or 9% annual growth.