Time for another OS? Huawei reportedly switching its smartwatches to Samsung's Tizen

Huawei, the major Chinese manufacturer, will reportedly be adopting Samsung’s Tizen OS, because Google hasn’t been very cooperative when it comes to Android. This is a major boon to Samsung, which has been trying to prop up its own operating system.

A local report from China claims that the maker of smartwatches, phones and countless other devices, Huawei, is looking to switch its smartwatch division over to Tizen OS. The move comes amid friction between the Chinese manufacturer and Google, with the former trying to lessen its reliance on Android. Just earlier this year, Huawei had reportedly started building its own independent operating system, because it didn't want to "be on the crutch of Android". It's not clear if those efforts are continuing, but it now looks like the Chinese manufacturer may have found it easier to simply adopt and mold an already-existing OS.

The same report claims Samsung has assured its new Chinese partner of full cooperation in developing Tizen for the Chinese market, and tailoring the experience for the manufacturer’s smartwatches.

This is, no doubt, an interesting development between the two technological giants, given that only a few months ago, Huawei sued Samsung for patent infringement.

Tizen OS is an open source system developed by a number of companies, including Samsung and Intel. The operating system is not well known outside of developing markets, though it is used inside of Samsung’s Gear watches around the world. The South Korean giant has been trying to push Tizen as a more open alternative to Android, which has come under stricter Google control in recent years.

Tizen has seen its share of ups and downs over the years, with Samsung having been the only major manufacturer to give the OS a real chance on consumer-facing devices. The OS has recently seen quite a bit of success, with Samsung selling a reported 64 million Tizen-powered smartphones in India alone, in just one quarter. That’s a sharp change compared to only a few years ago when the company was forced to abandon one of its Tizen phones due to lack of developer interest.

Though Samsung claims to have not officially received any partnership request from Huawei just yet, if this collaboration materializes and Tizen does get wider adoption, it might eventually become a real alternative to Apple and Google’s duopoly.

Source: Korea Herald