# HarmonyOS 17 Hacker News commenters recommended HarmonyOS and 15 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Praised as a polished, secure alternative to Android and iOS with smooth performance. Main caveat: hard to get outside China, and many Google apps do not run. ## Why people recommend it - Strong security and updates (3 comments): "the currently best OS widely deployed is Chinese only. About 10x faster development than in the US. And secure, unlike Linux." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46335781)) "No google jumk, android compatible os, fdroid works, years of security updates from maker" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49760228)) "the most advanced secure OS nowadays" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48183331)) - Polished design and smooth performance (4 comments): "it's incredibly slick and leaps ahead in great design and integration within the HarmonyOS ecosystem" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48160843)) "their platforms are already performant and fluid - so people should build on that." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49361338)) "it feels pretty good — the notifications and system smoothness are on par with iOS" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50052240)) - Viable alternative to Android and iOS (4 comments): "Huawei is the only OEM offering something different, but not easy to get in Western markets" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49857479)) "the only serious viable alternative to ios or android" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50052202)) "their HarmonyOS is way better than anything else" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45823072)) - Strong device ecosystem integration (3 comments): "Take a look at what Harmony OS is capable of if you want to see what a modern take on an OS and ecoystem looks like." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47969439)) "it's incredibly slick and leaps ahead in great design and integration within the HarmonyOS ecosystem" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48160843)) "that reinforces me using HarmonyOS" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48075912)) ## What people warn about - Mostly unavailable outside China (4 comments): "Huawei is the only OEM offering something different, but not easy to get in Western markets" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49857479)) "Something with ~0% market share outside of China and which trades the US having root for China having root is not a viable alternative." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48503156)) "HarmonyOS (especially meaning Huawei phones) is pretty much dead outside China" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50052436)) - Closed, locked-down, proprietary system (4 comments): "Those devices do not allow you to unlock the bootloader or install apps not signed by them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49760347)) "Harmony is just another closed-down ecosystem controlled by a single company." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50084877)) "It's a shame that the newest version of harmonyOS isn't open source." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49361437)) - Concerns about Chinese government control (3 comments): "an OS controlled by the Chinese government?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49760457)) "highly locked down OS with good support for the PRC to do the surveillance" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49248021)) "That one is aligned with another totalitarian-lite country, not great." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49233538)) - Missing Google services and some apps (3 comments): "some apps run fine, but many are degraded or not running at all due to dependency on Google Play services" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45990421)) "Last time I looked, it didn't even allow installing apps from outside AppGallery at all." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49989618)) "HarmonyOS because it is unusable if you wanna use normal banking apps" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50053893)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Android](https://hackerapproved.com/p/android.md): 372 recommend - [Apple iOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ios.md): 308 recommend - [LineageOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lineageos.md): 186 recommend - [/e/OS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/e-os.md): 89 recommend - [Sailfish OS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sailfish-os.md): 80 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "HarmonyOS", https://hackerapproved.com/p/harmonyos/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).