Huawei has introduced the beta version of HarmonyOS 6 at HDC 2025, with the Mate 80 series expected to incorporate it in the fourth quarter.

      Credit: Huawei

      From June 20 to 22, Huawei held its annual Developer Conference (HDC 2025) at Songshan Lake in Dongguan, focusing on the theme “Cloud for Everything, Intelligence for the Future.” The event showcased the company’s advancements with HarmonyOS, including increased device usage, the introduction of the Harmony Intelligence Framework, and the upcoming beta version for developers of HarmonyOS 6.

      Why it matters: The updates to HarmonyOS represent a significant move in Huawei’s mission to establish a self-sufficient ecosystem that competes with Android's prevalence in China.

      Details: According to Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, over 40 devices are currently using HarmonyOS 5, and more than 9,000 applications are involved in driving system innovation with HarmonyOS.

      Huawei unveiled the HarmonyOS Multi-Agent Framework (HMAF), which sets a new interaction model among the operating system, applications, and intelligent agents. Central to this framework is Xiaoyi, the HarmonyOS AI assistant capable of comprehending natural language and coordinating various agents to perform tasks related to weather, music, and scheduling.

      Registration for the developer beta of HarmonyOS 6 is now open, with the Harmony ecosystem exceeding 30,000 integrated applications. The official launch is anticipated in October and is expected to coincide with the release of Huawei’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Mate 80 series.

      Huawei also announced collaborations with nine companies, including AsiaInfo and Qi An Xin, to enhance commercial solutions utilizing HarmonyOS.

      Context: HarmonyOS is Huawei’s proprietary operating system intended for use across smartphones, tablets, wearables, and IoT devices. Launched in 2019 amidst U.S. sanctions, it is crucial for reducing Huawei’s dependence on Google’s Android and for creating a cohesive software ecosystem for its hardware products.

      Jessie Wu is a tech reporter based in Shanghai. She reports on consumer electronics, semiconductors, and the gaming industry for TechNode. You can connect with her via e-mail: [email protected]. More by Jessie Wu.