Huawei HarmonyOS 6 Launches AI-Powered Task Skill

Huawei has officially launched the Today-Task Skill feature on its HarmonyOS 6 operating system, bringing real-time AI-powered task tracking to the system's 'negative one screen' — the panel users access by swiping right from the home screen. The update integrates Huawei's AI Claw intelligent agent directly into the device's most accessible interface layer, enabling users to monitor task progress and view results without ever opening a separate app or computer.

The announcement, made on May 6 by the official HarmonyOS developer account, marks a significant step in Huawei's broader push to embed AI capabilities deeply into its proprietary mobile operating system. It also signals the company's ambition to compete with — and potentially surpass — the AI assistant integrations being developed by Apple, Google, and Samsung.

Key Takeaways at a Glance

• Today-Task Skill is now live on HarmonyOS 6's left-swipe panel (negative one screen)
• AI Claw agent tasks are now displayed in real-time, covering progress tracking through final results
• Users can access the feature by swiping right to the negative one screen and checking the top service notification area
• The feature was first spotted in beta testing in early April 2025 as part of the Smart Assistant · Today app version 15.0.22.210
• No need to open a PC or separate application — all task updates surface on the home panel
• The rollout reflects Huawei's strategy of making AI agents a first-class citizen in HarmonyOS

What Is the 'Negative One Screen' and Why It Matters

For readers unfamiliar with Huawei's interface design, the negative one screen is a dedicated panel that sits to the left of the main home screen. Users access it with a simple right swipe — similar to how Google Discover works on Android or how Apple's Today View functions on iOS.

This screen has historically served as a hub for quick-access cards, service recommendations, and smart reminders. With the Today-Task Skill update, it now becomes a live command center for AI-driven tasks.

The placement is strategically important. By surfacing AI Claw task updates at the very top of this frequently visited screen, Huawei ensures that users encounter AI functionality passively, without needing to seek it out. This 'ambient AI' approach mirrors trends across the industry, where companies are racing to make AI less of a tool you open and more of a layer that surrounds your digital experience.

AI Claw: Huawei's Intelligent Agent Takes Center Stage

AI Claw is Huawei's intelligent agent framework, designed to handle complex, multi-step tasks on behalf of users. Unlike simple voice assistants that respond to one-off queries, AI Claw operates more like an autonomous agent — it can be assigned a task, work through the steps independently, and report back when the job is done or when it needs input.

The Today-Task Skill integration means that every stage of an AI Claw task — from initial assignment through progress milestones to final output — is now visible in real time on the negative one screen. Key capabilities include:

• Progress tracking: See where your AI task currently stands without opening any app
• Result presentation: View completed task outputs directly on the home panel
• Cross-device sync: Monitor tasks that may be running on other Huawei devices, including PCs, without switching screens
• Smart notifications: Receive contextual reminders when tasks reach important milestones
• Instant access: One swipe from the home screen to full task visibility

This positions AI Claw as more than a background service. It becomes a visible, interactive presence in the user's daily workflow — a design philosophy that aligns with how companies like Google are positioning Gemini and how Apple is reportedly planning to expand Siri's capabilities in iOS 19.

From Beta to Launch: The Development Timeline

The Today-Task Skill feature did not appear overnight. Its journey from concept to public release followed a deliberate testing process that Huawei has increasingly adopted for major HarmonyOS features.

In early April 2025, reports first emerged that the Smart Assistant · Today app — the underlying application powering the negative one screen — had entered internal beta testing at version 15.0.22.210. That beta introduced the foundational connection between AI Claw and the negative one screen, allowing select testers to experience AI task completion reminders for the first time.

The roughly 1-month gap between beta initiation and public launch suggests Huawei moved quickly to refine the feature based on tester feedback. This rapid iteration cycle is notable, especially compared to the sometimes slower rollout cadences seen from larger Western competitors. It also reflects the intense competitive pressure within China's mobile ecosystem, where Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo are all racing to ship their own AI agent features.

How It Compares to Western AI Assistants

The Today-Task Skill launch invites natural comparisons with AI assistant integrations on competing platforms. Here is how Huawei's approach stacks up:

Google Gemini on Android has been gradually expanding its presence across the Android interface, with task-oriented features like multi-app actions and proactive suggestions. However, Gemini's task tracking is still largely confined to the Gemini app or Google Assistant interface, rather than being surfaced as a persistent home screen layer.

Apple's Siri and Apple Intelligence introduced summary notifications and writing tools in iOS 18, but a true 'task agent' that autonomously completes multi-step jobs and reports back on a dedicated screen remains absent. Reports suggest iOS 19 may bring more agentic capabilities, but Apple has not confirmed specifics.

Samsung's Galaxy AI, powered in part by Google's models, focuses primarily on on-device features like call translation and photo editing. It lacks a unified task-tracking dashboard comparable to what Huawei is now offering.

Huawei's integration stands out for its surface-level visibility. Rather than burying AI task management inside an app, it places the entire workflow front and center on the most accessible screen of the device. This is a design choice that could influence how other manufacturers think about AI agent interfaces going forward.

What This Means for Developers and the HarmonyOS Ecosystem

For developers building on HarmonyOS, the Today-Task Skill launch opens new opportunities and raises important questions. The integration suggests that Huawei is building a standardized framework for how AI agents interact with the system UI, which could eventually become an API surface that third-party developers can tap into.

Key implications for the developer community include:

• New interaction paradigm: Apps may need to design for 'card-based' task reporting on the negative one screen
• Agent-first design: Developers building HarmonyOS apps may increasingly need to think about how their services integrate with AI Claw
• Cross-device considerations: With task sync spanning phones and PCs, developers must account for multi-form-factor display
• Notification strategy shifts: Traditional push notifications may become less important as the negative one screen absorbs more real-time status updates

Huawei's developer ecosystem, while smaller than Android's or iOS's globally, is substantial within China. The company reported over 6 million registered HarmonyOS developers as of late 2024, and the platform's native app library has been growing steadily as major Chinese service providers port their applications.

The Bigger Picture: AI Agents as OS-Level Features

The Today-Task Skill launch fits into a broader industry narrative: AI agents are moving from standalone apps to operating system primitives. We are witnessing a fundamental shift in how mobile operating systems are designed.

In 2023 and early 2024, the conversation around mobile AI centered on chatbots and generative features — summarizing text, generating images, answering questions. By mid-2025, the focus has shifted decisively toward agents that can act, not just respond.

Huawei's approach with AI Claw exemplifies this transition. The agent does not simply wait for a prompt. It takes on tasks, executes them across services and devices, and proactively reports status through the OS interface. This is the model that Google, Apple, and Microsoft are all pursuing, but Huawei — partly due to the agility afforded by controlling both hardware and software — appears to be shipping these integrations at a faster clip.

The competitive dynamics are especially interesting given Huawei's unique position. Cut off from Google Mobile Services due to U.S. trade restrictions, Huawei has been forced to build its software ecosystem from scratch. What started as a defensive necessity has evolved into a genuine differentiator, with HarmonyOS now offering features that its Western-market counterparts have yet to match.

Looking Ahead: What Comes Next for HarmonyOS AI

The Today-Task Skill is almost certainly just the beginning. Based on Huawei's development trajectory and public statements, several next steps seem likely in the coming months.

First, expect deeper AI Claw integrations across more HarmonyOS system surfaces — not just the negative one screen but also the lock screen, notification shade, and possibly the always-on display. Second, Huawei will likely open parts of the AI Claw framework to third-party developers, allowing external apps to register their own task types and progress cards.

Third, cross-device task orchestration will become more sophisticated. Huawei's ecosystem spans smartphones, tablets, PCs, wearables, smart home devices, and vehicles. An AI agent that can coordinate tasks across all these surfaces represents a compelling value proposition that few competitors can replicate.

For global observers, the key question is whether HarmonyOS innovations like Today-Task Skill will remain confined to the Chinese market or eventually influence — or directly compete in — Western markets. With Huawei continuing to expand its international device presence despite regulatory challenges, the answer may come sooner than many expect.