What is BharOS?
BharOS is an Indian government-funded initiative aimed at creating a free and open-source operating system (OS). The initiative intends to lessen the dependency on foreign OS in smartphones and encourage the usage of locally produced technologies.
BharOS comes with No Default Applications (NDA). This indicates that there are no default applications. People can download the apps they want to utilize. The goal is to allow users to have greater control over the rights that applications have on their devices, since they may choose to only download apps that they trust to access particular functions or data on their devices.
This operating system grants users the ability to download and install programs from their company’s Private App Store Service (PASS). A PASS allows access to a selected list of applications that are believed to be properly tested and fulfill specific security and privacy criteria.
Things to Know About BharOS
- BharOS is not a native OS
BharOS doesn’t look or feel too different from Android or iOS. While details regarding BharOS and its primary features are unknown, the operating system looks to be a modified version of Android.
Forking Android is not the same as releasing a brand-new operating system from scratch. Forking allows developers to make new versions of software without breaking any copyright rules by using the original source code. From its inception in 2008, Google’s Android has existed as an open-source project. There are no restrictions on who can use it, modify the code, or make a fork. For instance, Amazon’s Fire OS is a modified version of the Android operating system developed by Google.
But a modified version can’t use the Google Play Store, the major way that most Android users get their apps. For instance, Amazon has its own App Store for its Fire OS platform.
As a result, a technology firm in India may now fork Android and create an alternative operating system independent of Google. A “forked” version of Android won’t come with Google Play Protect, software that stops malware from penetrating Android devices. Therefore, the OS will likely have more vulnerabilities and be more hackable. However, Google declared that it would permit other manufacturers to produce modified Android variations in accordance with the CCI verdict in India. So, a BharOS can potentially run with Google’s approval and access to certain of Google’s services.
Devices from Samsung, Xiaomi, and Nothing all use customized skins on top of the stock Android OS, but they all also include GMS and Google Play Protect, ensuring that their users have access to Google’s latest security patches for the foreseeable future.
- Android & iOS dominance continues.
Creating an alternative to Android or iOS from scratch, though, maybe a massive undertaking. The creation of a completely new operating system requires not just an unlimited budget but also extensive backing from the programming community. Perhaps the launch of the App Store for the iPhone in 2008 was a major factor in the device’s rapid rise to prominence. With the introduction of the App Store for the iPhone, applications quickly gained widespread popularity.
The likes of Uber and Spotify were made possible as the App Store gained in popularity. Although Apple did not create the App Store, it centralized the industry by making it accessible to all developers. This marked the beginning of the modern mobile ecosystem. Google joined the app market as well, albeit, unlike Apple, it permitted additional app shops and sideloading. With a market share of 71.8%, Android has become the most popular smartphone OS.
Both Android and iOS have a lot to offer users, but they’ve also succeeded in isolating their users from the rest of the mobile market. This duopoly over mobile devices is being protected by the lack of a third or fourth mobile operating system. Microsoft, BlackBerry, and even Samsung have all tried to develop mobile operating systems to compete with Android and iOS, but none of them have been able to achieve the same level of market dominance that Apple and Google have. In Microsoft’s example, Windows Phone was a significantly different OS and ahead of its time compared to Android; nonetheless, the operating system flopped catastrophically owing to a lack of support from third-party developers.
- India’s IT sector won’t help with apps
In the past several years, India’s technological infrastructure has taken significant strides forward. Yet, it hasn’t matured to the point where it can compete with Google, Facebook, and Amazon as China has. India can’t guarantee the same volume of apps from local developers on its own App Store as China does on its various Android app shops, even if it builds an alternative to Android and provides its own App Store.
If the App Store India creates does not have Google’s suite of services—including Gmail, which is the country’s most popular email client—then no one will choose India’s native operating system. For similar reasons, we don’t expect Google or Meta to bring their own first-party apps to a regionalized version of the App Store.
How BharOS is different from Android?
| BharOS | Android |
| There are no predefined apps | Android platform allows for pre-installed software. |
| Applications that adhere to all security and privacy standards are supported. | Google Play permits any application to safeguard and reject people who violate the company’s guidelines. |
| Bhar OS is safer because it does not have these services or apps pre-installed. | Android OS is not safer because it does have apps pre-installed. |
| DuckDuckGo will be the default web browser on BharOS. | Google Chrome will be the default web browser on Android. |
| Private App store services | Applications are available only on the play store |
