How are you Huawei?

For a while now, Huawei has been hard at work in developing its Harmony OS and App Gallery which has grown considerably since it was first announced around September 2020. The operating system claims to house essentials and more. To see if this claim holds true, we reviewed a Huawei phone without rooting, or downloading apps outside of Huawei’s App Gallery.  

In Huawei’s App Gallery, you will come across some familiar apps. These include WhatsApp, Grab, Lazada and TikTok. Let us go through some of the apps by category.  

Messaging

What you can find: WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, Line, Messenger (Facebook) 

You can access most of the essential messaging apps on the App Gallery with the exception of the Facebook Messenger. To get the Facebook Messenger, you’ll have to search for it through Petal Search, which then links you to the official Facebook download link.  

Video entertainment

What you can find: TikTok, iflix, Astro Go, tonton 

What you won’t find: YouTube, Netflix 

While there is no YouTube or Netflix as apps, you can still access YouTube on your browser. This doesn’t work with Netflix for some reason. If you try to watch videos on the browser, it will tell you to install the Netflix app, which of course cannot be done without the Google play store. You can of course turn to Tiktok will provide you with hours of fun, and iflix, tonton and Astro Go allows you to stream long form video content. There is also a Video app that comes with free video content for streaming.  

Social media

What you can find: Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat  

What you won’t find: Instagram, Twitter 

I couldn’t find a direct download for Instagram, there are however “Instagram Installers” to be found which made me rather sceptical. You can however, access these social media platforms on your browser. 

Navigation

What you can find: Petal Maps 

What you won’t find: Google Maps

Running the Petal Maps navigational app, details regarding each location may not be as detailed as what you will find in Google Maps, but the app definitely serves its purpose. It is a solid navigational app that will get you from point A to point B, along with alternative routes and traffic information.  

Games

What you can find: Mobile Legends, State of Survival, Gardenscapes, Rise of Kingdoms, Candy Crush Mania 

You will not find: Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite 

I do not spend a lot of time gaming although it seems like there are plenty of game options on the App Gallery. This is with the exception of games like Pokemon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite which cannot be found. 

Conclusion  

As the App Gallery continues to grow, we look forward to see more improvements. The Huawei experience may not be as seamless as it once was but it is not as bad as many may think. There is no denying that Huawei continues to offer some of the best camera phones on the market.  

I also find that with a Huawei, it is much easier to focus on my work as distracting apps like Instagram and Facebook can be actively avoided. This makes it an excellent choice for a business phone.  

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