New Delhi, January 27 : A whole lot of organizations including both government and private sector enterprises, which are looking for stringent privacy and secured infrastructure for their mobile devices are currently in touch with JandK Operations Pvt. Ltd, under IIT-Madras, which developed the country’s first ever indigenous mobile phone operating system ‘BharOS’.
The government of India wanted to develop its own reliable mobile phone operating system from the worry about multinational tech firms utilizing the data of Indian citizens. When it comes to OS, there’s really no original Indian answer to Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. Considering India is a huge think tank, having its indigenous OS is only natural, but that didn’t happen until now.
IIT-Madras recently announced that a start-up from its incubators, has developed India’s first indigenous OS named as the Bharat OS or BharOS. BharOS comes with the promise of being efficient like Android, while also being safer and more secure. It is meant for the country’s users, who are currently solely depending on mobile operating systems that are owned by American companies. Read on to know all details. India Gains 26 Spots on Mobile Download Speeds Globally With the Roll Out of 5G.
What is BharOS?
BharOS is India’s first indigenous open-ended operating system. It comes under a government funded project to offer a free, open-sourced and most importantly more secure operating system (OS). This project is aimed to develop self-dependence when it comes to technology and focus on secure application usage.
Apart from addressing the issue of foreign tech giants collecting and utilizing the data generated by Indian smartphone users, BharOS also tries to develop homegrown technology.
BharOS was developed by JandK Operations Private Limited, a non-profit organisation incubated at IIT Madras. BharOS come with no default apps (NDA), which simply means there are no default (preinstalled) apps on this OS and users download whatever apps they want to use. The OS also offers access to a long list of specific apps which meet the criteria of offering stringent user security.
BharOS Vs Android
BharOS is very similar to Android OS, as it is based on Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Hence, the functionalities of both these OSs are basically the same. However, BharOS is different from Android, as it does not come with any preinstalled Google Services or Apps. Google uses its preinstalled apps and services to collect data, while other apps from the Google PlayStore share user data with third-party services. On the other hand, BharOS does not come with any preinstalled apps, and is hence essentially safer. WhatsApp Working on New Software That Uses Apple Mac Catalyst.
Installation of BharOS
As of now, removing the existing OS and reinstalling another OS is a very serious and unadvisable tasks, that even professionals might not do. Hence, BharOS in all probabilities will be available in upcoming devices.
More importantly, currently BharOS is only for those organizations which have stringent privacy and security needs and looking for confidential and very secure apps on mobile devises. So, the BharOS isn’t likely to be released for the mass market anytime soon.
BharOS Release Date
The release date of the BharOS is not known yet. However, rumours have it that its developers are collaborating with smartphone manufacturers to launch future smartphones that will run on BharOS out of the box.
How Apps Will Work on BharOS
BharOS won’t have any preinstalled default apps unlike Android. So, the users choose and download they want on their devices. It will definitely have its own app store and will offer only more secure apps on offer to be downloaded and used. There will be no need for the Google App Store.
As BharOS is developed to encourage the use of homegrown technology, the OS is thought to be given preferrance to safe and securely developed indigenous apps with a focus on Indian users. Watch the following video to know more.
BharOS Being Tested :
Tested Indian ‘Operating System’ - BharOS developed at @iitmadras with @dpradhanbjp Ji; A leap forward in PM @narendramodi Ji’s #AatmanirbharBharat journey. pic.twitter.com/eOt3un5okm
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) January 24, 2023
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2023 07:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).