HarmonyOS 4.0 debuts Live Window feature on Huawei devices

According to the leaker Digital Chat Station, HarmonyOS 4.0 has the most in common with AOSP 12 at its core. However, it is clear that the main source of inspiration for the latest version of Huawei's cross-device UI comes straight from Apple.

HarmonyOS 4.0 has even been revealed to have its own version of Contact Posters on its launch, although it is just 1 new way of turning any photo into a wallpaper on compatible devices. The OS has also been upgraded to support the Super Transit Station, a new UI 'hub' for text and images grabbed from 1 app with a specific two-finger gesture for streamlined transfer to another.

However, the parallel with iOS for the iPhone 14 Pro series that is hardest to ignore is the new Live Window feature. Its ability to expand and sprout elements such as cards tracking ongoing countdown timers or screen recordings is inescapably reminiscent of Apple's Dynamic Island.

Then again, its animations are boosted by the Ark Engine, HarmonyOS' new equivalent of the Dynamic Computing Engine from OxygenOS/ColorOS 13. Huawei's Live Window can spawn on areas of the screen clear of a device's selfie camera and can, thus, be activated on compatible tablets such as the 2021 MatePad Pro series or newer, as well as smartphones as old as the Nova 6, Mate 30 or P40 series. Accordingly, it could also come to Huawei TVs soon.

However, its introduction in HarmonyOS 4.0 might pave the way for a more literal, active Live Window in the upcoming Mate 60 series.

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