Android is a popular mobile operating system across the world. According to estimates nearly 95% of smartphones available on the market are infused with Android. Apple iOS occupied only a small market share because the iOS platform is only available on Apple devices. The latest development is that BharOS developed by IIT, Madras has been released. Touted as a possible Android competitor, the BharOS project has been funded by the Indian Government as an open-source operating system. Even though the new operating platform will not pose any immediate threat to Android, we expect the new platform to grow rapidly. We expect BharOS to be a reality within the next 3-4 years. The main reason for the release of home-grown operating system is to reduce the dependency on foreign OS in smartphones and tablets.
Who created BharOS
BharOS is a brave attempt by JandK Operations Private Limited, which is incubated at IIT Madras. The new mobile operating system is part of Android Open Source Project. The operating system mainly addresses the ever-growing issue of privacy and security during data collection in devices. If you install an Android app, then you will have to grant permissions, and this causes issues. We feel that the new operating system addresses the chronic problem of security that exists with data collection.
Security
BharOS shares the chemistry of Android but it doesn’t include Google Services and Apps. The devices pre-loaded with the new OS will not collect any data due to the absence of preinstalled apps and services. Tech enthusiasts believe that smartphones shipped with the platform will be secure when compared with Android. The IT ministry sources revealed that the BharOS is a significant and successful start towards data privacy and is considered as an important milestone in its quest to establish Aatmanirbhar digital infrastructure.
#BharOS is a successful start towards data privacy, and an important initiative towards strong, indigenous & #Aatmanirbhar digital infrastructure in India. #MadeInIndia #operatingsystem #G20IndiaDEWG @GoI_MeitY @AshwiniVaishnaw @Rajeev_GoI pic.twitter.com/B0JpysK7B5
— Ministry of Electronics & IT (@GoI_MeitY) January 25, 2023
Like as mentioned above, BharOS will not ship with default apps like Gmail, Photos, Drive, and others. You have to manually download apps from the relevant app store. You will have the freedom to install an app as per your choice. if you are using Android smartphone, you will be forced to provide Gmail account credentials during the configuration stage. You will not be able to work with the device if you are not providing them. However, in BharOS-loaded devices, there will be no need to provide Gmail account details.
Alternative to Android
That being said, it’s unlikely that BharOS will serve as an alternative to Android in the highly competitive mobile segment. The ultimate consumption of Android devices is higher worldwide and only time will tell whether BharOS will be popular as Android. We feel that Android and Lava should manufacture budget devices pre-loaded with the new OS. The companies should try to motivate students and senior citizens to use BharOS devices. If smartphone companies integrate BharOS in premium devices, then it’s unlikely to become a deal breaker.
Availability
We don’t have any exact information about the actual release and availability of BharOS. We expect companies like Micromax to release new devices with the upcoming operating system but the new mobile operating system will not be available for the existing smartphone devices. There are reports that the devices pre-loaded with the forthcoming OS will be only available for enterprise companies to begin with.
