Ways To Add An Android App To Huawei App Gallery will be described in this post. Adding your product to the Huawei App Gallery may be a smart move if you want to boost your position in the mobile app market. The Huawei app store is thought to be a potential competitor for industry giants like the App Store and Google Play in the near future due to its steady growth.
You can reach more potential consumers by putting your app on the App Gallery, a worldwide app store available in more than 170 countries. Making sure that your product is sufficiently available to all customers is crucial to the success of your organisation.
Increased accessibility of your application may improve traffic and, consequently, sales. In order to increase the market reach and traffic to your software, it may be a good idea to release it on additional markets like Huawei App Gallery. Yet, how can one publish an app on AppGallery?
How To Add An Android App To Huawei App Gallery
The operating system turns out to be an important factor in this situation. Since Huawei devices run either Android or HarmonyOS based on the same source code, launching an Android app via the App Gallery shouldn’t be a problem. Thus, you have come to the right site if you want to learn how to add an Android app to the Huawei App Gallery.
We will provide you a thorough overview of the procedure as well as other important details you should take into account before proceeding.
Huawei Mobile Services and HarmonyOS
In May 2019, the China-US trade war made it hard for Huawei to use Google services on their new handsets. The company began offering smartphones equipped with its unique Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) rather than GMS in order to make up for this loss.
Huawei intended to offer users and developers the same services as those present in the Android environment by introducing HMS. In order to compete with Google products, the business launched services such HMS Core, a framework for app development, App Gallery, Huawei ID, Cloud, Themes, Huawei Video, Browser, and Assistant.
Although these programmes are fairly useful, it is difficult to replace well-known and feature-rich GMS services like Google Maps or YouTube. As a result of Huawei’s decision to create its own operating system, HarmonyOS, the firm underwent another big transformation after switching from GMS to HMS. Since 2021, all new smartphones and tablets have been powered by HarmonyOS and have access to the App Gallery, which includes pre-installed Harmony Apps and Android apps that work with Huawei’s operating system.
Huawei’s mobile market share (6%) may appear negligible in compared to other major competitors like Samsung (29%), Apple (28%), and Xiaomi (13%), but the App Gallery numbers are pretty amazing. In 2020, the Huawei App Gallery had around 384 billion app installs and updates, according to reports from Statista. The app store had 2.3 million registered app developers in the same year. Businesses choose to create new goods for the platform in addition to integrating their applications with the Huawei App Gallery. What prompts people to act in this way? Let’s investigate!
Why is it good for a business to be in Huawei App Gallery?
Huawei works hard to enhance its mobile services and give users the greatest features. According to Wang Yanmin, President of Global Partnerships and Eco-Development at Huawei, the company plans to continuously enhance its ecosystem in compliance with customers’ comments to ensure steady growth and expansion of their enterprises. Here are some of the benefits that Huawei App Gallery has to offer, making it worthwhile for your company to check out.
Fast-growing environment
Since Huawei’s devices started using HMS, the growth of the App Gallery has been rapid. According to Statista, there were 530 million active users in the first quarter of 2021, up from 300 million in 2019.
This suggests that App Gallery, especially in China and other Asian nations, will soon pose a serious threat to Google Play and App Store, the world’s top competitors in the mobile app distribution business. The business claims that as a result of the investments made in the creation of the store, the number of developers and end users is still increasing. As a result, submitting your application to Huawei’s marketplace may increase both its visibility and your chance of eventually connecting with your target market.
Secure marketplace
To safeguard the privacy of both users and developers, AppGallery makes advantage of Huawei’s technology and software capabilities. Huawei protects customer information from leakage by encrypting it and storing it in accordance with local regulations.
Yet, given the App Store’s stringent requirements for the creation of iOS mobile apps, this component is fairly fundamental and essential in all markets. But, App Gallery went a step further and included a specific security mechanism. In order to locate the developer in the event of unforeseen complications, it incorporates name verification.
The marketplace also developed a four-step review procedure that includes screening, monitoring, certification, and re-inspection of the newly launched app to make sure it is malware-free. Such a thorough vetting process ensures that the apps in the App Gallery are quality assured, which increases consumer trust in the company. More market activity may result in more people downloading your app, which will improve your revenue.
‘Glocal’ approach
AppGallery has used the “glocal” strategy in order to offer users the most pertinent applications. In order to provide clients with a greater selection of apps tailored to their needs, the company focuses on collaborating with developers both locally and internationally. Based on the user’s location, the system proposes suitable applications. With the aid of this feature, the user can rapidly select the best alternative without wasting time looking through a plethora of unrelated apps, and the developer may easily connect with a potential customer.
AppGallery Connect
Huawei offers developers AppGallery Connect, a toolkit that includes all the services required for the development or modification of an app, including innovation, development, distribution, maintenance, and analysis.
The platform enables developers to create apps, enhance their quality with APM or Cloud Testing, modify their functionality by conducting, for example, Sandbox Testing, and conduct analysis using analytical tools.
And that’s not all. Several capabilities that App Gallery Connect offers could be helpful during the development process. You may spruce up your app and enhance its performance with the help of the platform’s services, which could raise its worth and attract more potential users.
How to adjust your android app to HarmonyOS?
Uploading your programme to the App Gallery is one thing, but there are a few procedures you must first complete. However, this does not entail completely redesigning the app; rather, you must update a few components to make your Android app compatible with Huawei smartphones. Businesses who want to target Huawei users need create HarmonyOS-compatible versions of their products because Huawei launched its own operating system.
Because Huawei’s operating system is built on AOSP, using Android apps will be easier. That implies, for example, that UI code need to function correctly even on HarmonyOS-powered devices. Yet, elements of apps created employing specific Firebase services could give rise to issues. Google’s Firebase technology gives developers the ability to keep an eye on their applications, send alerts, and monitor the status of updates.
Also, it is widely utilised for developing MVP apps. The platform, however, is built on Google Mobile Services, which are no longer supported by Huawei’s hardware. App Check SafetyNet provider, Firebase ML Vision, and Firebase ML Custom Model are a few Firebase capabilities that may not function properly in HarmonyOS devices.
Many more functions can be successfully replaced with services offered by Huawei in App Gallery Connect, even though certain Firebase functionalities may not be included in HMS and should be replaced by third-party equivalents. With essentially identical functionality, this platform can be used as a Firebase substitute.
The Huawei Crash service, for instance, performs a similar purpose to Google’s Crashlytics. The same is true of the Authentication and Auth Service, Cloud Messaging and Push Kit, Dynamic Link and App Linking, and many other services. Hence, replacing GMS services with HMS should be sufficient to ensure that your application runs smoothly on Huawei handsets and tablets. To locate their Huawei equivalents, you must first determine which Google Services were used in your app. You should be able to manage APIs and integrate SDK for each feature in your app once you have launched the project in App Gallery Connect.
Adding an app to App Gallery
At first glance, launching an app on the Huawei app store could seem challenging. Even still, the process is rather simple, especially for people who have previously uploaded apps to Google Play. Follow the detailed directions we have provided below if you are seeking for some recommendations on how to accomplish it correctly.
Register your profile
You must first sign in to the service using the HUAWEI Developers platform and validate your identification with the necessary documentation before you may modernise and then add your app to the App Gallery.
Create a project.
- You must first create a project if you want to use App Gallery services for your application.
- Go to My projects and select Add project to do so.
- Provide the project’s title and then select Add app.
Set your app’s necessary parameters, including its platform, device, name, package name, category, and default language.
Modernize your app
After completing the necessary forms, you can go on to the development phase. Choose the Manage APIs option and turn on the services you want to integrate. The integration of SDKs into your development environment is necessary for services like Auth Service, Crash, Cloud Functions, Cloud DB, Remote Configuration, App Linking, Cloud Storage, APM, or App Messaging. If you used Android Studio to create your application, you must submit a JSON file to the App Gallery.
To add a configuration file, go to My projects and choose your app. Go to Project settings, select the General information tab, and add the agconnect-services.json file there. The file should then be added to Android Studio’s module directory. Don’t forget to set up these SDK URLs in your IDE as well.
Setting the Maven repository address and adding the App Gallery Connect plugin to Android Studio are required in this stage. The Guides section of the App Gallery Connect website contains comprehensive instructions on how to apply those changes. After completing the aforementioned procedures, you can use App Gallery Connect’s services to incorporate any appropriate changes into your app.
Test
You should test your application to see if it functions properly after modifying specific components to the Huawei environment. To speed up the verification process and guarantee the greatest User Experience, App Gallery Connect offers a number of test services that you may use.
Cloud Testing
You can use this service to test your application’s functionality, stability, and security. Additionally, Cloud Testing confirms the compatibility of your app to ensure that it functions properly on a variety of Huawei mobile devices.
Cloud Debugging
Use Cloud Debugging to check for problems and faults in your app. With the help of this service, you may debug your programme and test it across a range of platforms to identify and fix any flaws.
Open Testing
You can make your application available to certified test users who will offer you feedback on the components that still require improvement in order to test it before the official launch in the App Gallery.
Integration Check
Via Integration Check, you may check to see if your app package is correctly integrated. You can make the necessary adjustments based on the report before the review procedure, which could hasten the release of your product.
Sandbox Testing
To imitate the actual User Experience, a simulated environment is established for your application during sandbox testing. You can use this test to determine whether the capabilities of your application are operating correctly.
A/B Testing
By creating two or more versions of your app and distributing them to various audiences, you may test the User Interface of your product. You can then test different notification or app messaging strategies to determine what makes your app successful. Nonetheless, this seems to be an option given that you have previously published your product in Google Play and most likely carried out a test of this nature before to release.
Release
Your application is prepared for release after being updated and tested. However, you must first give important details about its specs. The App Information tab is included in the Release App section. You can go on to Version information to select the locations you wish to distribute your app in after providing a succinct overview, information on compatible devices, the app icon, and screenshots.
Next indicate whether you want to publish the app for official release or open testing. Now upload your APK and submit it for evaluation by going to Manage packages. The distribution of the app is authorised if the review procedure demonstrates that it complies with the requirements of the market.
Maintain
After launching your product on the Huawei marketplace, you can maintain it by changing its information or version or moving it to another account if necessary. The App analytics area also allows you to view information about how your application is being used.
To get a sense of how your programme is performing, analytical tools will provide you thorough information on downloads and installations. Such information might aid in your decision-making regarding the steps you ought to take to increase the usefulness and profitability of your product.
A fine alternative for high-profile app marketplaces
For a corporation to succeed, breaking into new markets is crucial. It boosts a product’s visibility and raises its likelihood of reaching the target market. Although having a lesser global market share than Apple or Google, Huawei is gaining momentum and may soon pose a serious threat to those two.
As a result, adding an app to the App Gallery may be a wise decision that will bring you a lot of money. especially when we consider that there is no requirement to create a different version of the software. It is much less difficult to adapt an existing application to HarmonyOS using the tools supplied by Huawei in App Gallery Connect than it is to start from scratch.
As a result, in comparison to the potential rewards, the operation’s time commitment and financial outlay are negligible. We anticipate that the instructions in this article will make the procedure easier overall. Please don’t pause to get in communication with us if you need help with your Android app or any other area of mobile development!
