Huawei Technologies unveiled HarmonyOS 6, the latest version of its self-developed mobile operating system, on Wednesday, which experts said marks a major step forward for China's first domestically built smartphone operating system, as it expands its ecosystem and interoperability capabilities.

The launch comes one year after Huawei introduced its first fully independent HarmonyOS, underscoring the company's efforts to build an alternative to Apple's iOS and Google's Android. For the first time, the new system supports direct data transfer with Apple devices, breaking long-standing ecosystem barriers.

Huawei said more than 23 million devices are now running HarmonyOS 5. The company began rolling out HarmonyOS 6 upgrades for over 90 smartphone models on Wednesday.

Han Juke, vice-president of the China Communications Industry Association, said: "HarmonyOS 6 represents a key milestone in Huawei's independent development. It showed that the system has built a vibrant application ecosystem, moving from being merely 'usable' to genuinely 'useful'."

Huawei said HarmonyOS 6 brings improvements in speed, intelligence and multi-device collaboration. Built on a new architecture, the system enhances connectivity and sensing capabilities, enabling over 60 apps to support Huawei's "tap-to-share" function and allowing seamless interaction between phones and PCs.

Powered by Huawei's in-house engine system, it boosts multi-device performance by 15 percent, improving responsiveness and multitasking.

According to Huawei, other Chinese leading internet companies — including Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance — have already optimized their flagship apps for HarmonyOS 6.

Many platforms, such as WeChat, Alipay, Taobao, Douyin and Meituan, have rolled out dedicated versions, while travel and navigation apps such as Amap also feature Harmony-exclusive functions.

Industry experts said HarmonyOS 6 marked not just a technological milestone, but also a strategic one for China's software independence.

Han said: "The path ahead remains challenging, but Huawei has already proven the viability of a self-reliant and thriving domestic OS. The Harmony world is taking shape, one that could reshape the global operating system landscape."

Huawei said the number of registered Harmony developers has exceeded 8 million, and more than 9,000 apps have participated in 70 joint innovation projects using new system-level features such as tap-to-share, real-time widgets and system-level scanning.

chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn