Chinese handset maker Huawei is developing its own mobile operating system, a move that would reduce its reliance on Google’s Android, reports The Information.

Huawei, the world’s third largest smartphone maker, currently runs its phones using EMUI, its own Android-based user interface, but has decided to go further by developing its own OS, in case its relationship with Google sours.

The Information report cites sources which claim Huawei has a team, including ex-Nokia engineers, working on the project in Scandinavia, although it “isn’t far along”, at this stage.

Rival Samsung has also developed its own Linux-based Tizen OS, which the company began to develop to mitigate the influence of Google in areas such as service and applications. It has also pushed the OS into other devices, such as wearables and smart TVs.

Huawei is also planning a revamp to EMUI, which is set to be unveiled this September, as it continues to push its ambitions to become a global electronics brand.

The company hired former Apple designer Abigail Brody last October to oversee the overhaul, and changes could include the addition of redesigned icons and a new colour palette.

Her appointment came after criticism that Huawei’s software was very similar to Apple’s, with reviewers arguing that it was copying elements of the iPhone.

In an interview, Brody told the publication that Huawei could become “the world’s number 1, the most advanced and favourite lifestyle centric ecosystem, and without having to copy Apple at all, ever”.