Huawei launches app for AirDrop-style file transfers between HarmonyOS and Apple devices

HarmonyOS 6 is expected to be found in more than 90 Huawei devices after a software update by year end

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Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of the Consumer Business Group at Huawei, showcases the Mate 80 series smartphones on November 25, 2025. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:00pm, 3 Dec 2025

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies has launched a new app to facilitate seamless data exchange between its proprietary operating system HarmonyOS and Apple’s iOS ecosystem.

The “HarmonyOS Interconnect” app was recently made available on the App Store for MacOS devices, days after the release of the version for the iPhone and iPad. Once installed on an Apple device, it allows AirDrop-style transfers of files, images, videos and contact information between a device running on the latest HarmonyOS 6.

The move was promised by Huawei in late October when launching the HarmonyOS 6. At the time it said the new system would enable direct file transfers between Huawei and Apple devices for the first time.

HarmonyOS 6, which was initially made available to developers in June, is expected to be found in more than 90 Huawei devices after a software update by year end. The newly launched Mate 80 and foldable Mate X7 smartphones, announced last week, already run on the system.

Huawei launched HarmonyOS as an Android alternative for the Chinese market in August 2019, just months after the US government added the company to a trade blacklist that blocked it from buying US-origin technologies without Washington’s approval.

The ‘HarmonyOS Interconnect’ app is available on the App Store for MacOS devices. Photo: Handout

In a 2024 update, HarmonyOS added a “tap-to-transfer” feature, allowing users to easily share content by physically touching one device on the other. It was not clear if the new app would also facilitate such a feature.

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