Huawei rolls out HarmonyOS Interconnect for seamless file sharing with Apple devices
Huawei’s AirDrop-style tool connects HarmonyOS and Apple devices for the first time, positioning the company to push beyond its dominant China market.
Huawei just dropped something pretty interesting for anyone who’s ever tried to share a file between a Huawei phone and an iPhone, and felt like they were trying to combine oil and water. It’s called HarmonyOS Interconnect, and it basically gives Huawei and Apple users an AirDrop-style bridge so they can finally pass files back and forth without stress.
The app quietly popped up on the App Store for macOS, right after showing up for iPhone and iPad. Once you install it, you can send images, videos, document, even contacts, straight to any device running HarmonyOS 6. And that’s a lot of devices: Huawei says HarmonyOS 6 will roll out to more than 90 models before the year ends, and the latest flagship phones (like the Mate 80 and the foldable Mate X7) already ship with it.
This whole move isn’t random. Huawei promised something like this back in October when it introduced HarmonyOS 6, pitching it as the update that would finally make cross-ecosystem file sharing painless. That’s big for a company that’s been developing HarmonyOS as China’s Android alternative ever since it landed on the U.S. trade blacklist in 2019.
David Adubiina
HarmonyOS has been adding features like crazy lately, tap-to-transfer, improved device syncing, and now, direct compatibility with Apple. Whether this new app will support those tap-based features isn’t clear yet, though; Huawei hasn’t said much beyond the launch.
But here’s what is clear: HarmonyOS is growing fast, especially in China. It’s outpaced Apple’s iOS for seven straight quarters now, holding about 18% of the market, compared to Apple’s 14%, while Android still dominates at 69%. Globally, though, the story is different, HarmonyOS sits at just 4%, but Huawei is clearly trying to change that. And giving people an easier way to talk to Apple devices seems like a solid step.
The takeaway
Huawei’s AirDrop-style interoperability may look like a simple convenience feature, but strategically, it’s a big swing. It makes HarmonyOS feel less isolated, boosts user confidence, and subtly challenges the narrative that only Apple offers the best cross-device experience.
While the feature won’t shift global OS market share overnight, it does reinforce Huawei’s growing dominance in China and its long-term ambition to build an ecosystem capable of standing beside, rather than beneath, Android and iOS. HarmonyOS isn’t just catching up; it’s carving its own lane.
Louis Eriakha
