Huawei Ark OS May Be the Name of Its Android, Windows Replacement, EUIPO Trademark Filings Tip

Huawei is in the midst of a crisis, and that may be an understatement. The Chinese telecommunications giant recently faced a ban on using a Google-licensed version of Android moving forward, as per the demands put forth by the US government. A report earlier this month citing Huawei's head of its consumer business group claimed that Huawei has created its own operating system for its phones and computers, just for this eventuality - if it loses access to Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows operating systems. Now, it appears we may know the name of the OS if trademarks filed by the company are any indication.

CNBC cited Huawei's Richard Yu earlier this month to report that Huawei could roll out its operating system for its phones and computer in China by autumn, and for the rest of the world in the first or the second quarter of 2020. The report cited China-run state daily The Global Times to add the operating system is currently known as HongMeng. Of course, that wasn't the first time such reports emerged, and Yu earlier this year also confirmed Huawei had created its own operating system.

Now, as spotted by Android Headlines, less than a week past on May 24, Huawei has trademarked multiple names with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) that are Huawei Ark OS, Huawei Ark, Huawei Ark Compiler, Ark, and Ark OS. Of course, mentions that these trademarks do not confirm the new filings to be Huawei's upcoming Android alternative, so there's no guarantee on that. But the timing of filing these trademarks do point out that Huawei is accelerating on this matter and we might soon see the new OS in action.

So, developing a new operating system is nothing new for Huawei. Going by our report from last year, the Chinese smartphone maker started working on its own operating system for its smartphones, tablets and computers after the US took the company as a national threat to their country because of Huawei's attempts to extract sensitive information from American companies and their loyalties to the Chinese government.

The ban has hit Huawei hard and has forced the company to work on its backup plan. Without Android, the phone maker will not be able to sell smartphones running Google's services. Additionally, even Microsoft has backed out, and that leaves the PC business in jeopardy. Moreover, the major chipmakers and designers like Intel, Qualcomm, ARM to name a few have also suspended business with Huawei.