A logo sits illuminated outside the Huawei pavilion during the second day of the Mobile World Congress 2015 at the Fira Gran Via complex on March 3, 2015, in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo : Getty Images)
Responding to prevailing rumors that Huawei may eventually ditch Android for its own under development Kirin OS, CEO of the Chinese tech giant has clarified that they would be using Google's operating system till it remains open.
Recently, the Internet was flooded with rumors that like Samsung, Huawei is developing its own contingency plan or "Plan B," in case the company finds Google's terms for using Android OS unacceptable at any point of time. In response, Huawei "Rotating" CEO Richard Yu (Yu Chengdong) has expressed his solidarity with Android in a post on the company's official page on the Chinese social media site Weibo.
Yu has, however, put a condition for continuing with Android for his company's devices. He has said that Huawei is committed to Android as long as it remains open, Slashgear reported.
In a way, this has been the issue for disagreement. Yu has said that he foresees the odds of Google tightening its grip on Android and, hence, the platform may not remain open for long. Although Yu did not confirm that Huawei is developing an alternative platform to Android, the chances of the company incorporating the Kirin OS in some of its future devices cannot be ruled out completely.
There are reports that Google is initiating some restrained steps to round up the Android ecosystem with a view to make the mobile OS a coherent whole. Keeping these reports in view, the Huawei CEO has emphasized that the openness of Android has been responsible for the popularity as well as rapid spread in the global smartphone market.
Yu is of the view that any move by Google to curtail the platform may prove to be suicidal for Android OS. He wants that Google should continue to ensure the freedom of the OEMs. At the same time, he felt that some checks and improvements too are necessary to improve the status quo.
Meanwhile, the Chinese tech giant has hired former Apple designer Abigail Brody to lead the team as well as improve its Android skin, as the Huawei skin has been criticized by phone reviewers in the West, especially for the way the app icons look. It is expected that Brody will introduce new features similar to those found on the majority of Android phones, but with Huawei's own finesse.
Watch Huawei developing its own mobile operating system below:
