Chinese phonemaker Huawei announced on Thursday that app developers can apply for a preview of the company's HarmonyOS NEXT, an operating system (OS) with the potential to replace Android on future Huawei gadgets.

The Shenzhen-based company promised it would release the developer beta version of HarmonyOS NEXT in the second quarter of 2024, and the commercial version would be available for users to download in the fourth quarter.

Huawei said it is working with more than 200 developers to port their apps to the new platform. The ported apps will not run on Android.

"We firmly believe that the HarmonyOS team will work with thousands of developers to build a brand-new ecosystem," said Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei's consumer business.

Apps being ported cover a wide range of things, including maps, financial apps, social media platforms, streaming services, mobile games and productivity tools. Big names like Alipay, Weibo, WPS Office and Bilibili are included.

The company also promised to invest 7 billion yuan (nearly $1 billion) to support app innovations in the new ecosystem.

What's NEXT?

HarmonyOS NEXT is different from HarmonyOS currently running on Huawei smartphones. The key difference for average users is that all Android apps will no longer run if they upgrade their phones to the new OS.

This means that HarmonyOS NEXT is basically a brand-new OS, aimed at becoming the third major app ecosystem in addition to the open-source Android and Apple's iOS.

As of Thursday, only the Mate 60, Mate 60 Pro and Mate X5 smartphones can upgrade to the first developer preview of HarmonyOS NEXT. Almost all apps will be wiped out after the upgrade, according to an FAQ page on the Huawei website, as they are no longer supported.