Examining the differences between Google's android OS and BharOS

Delhi : The two most well-known mobile operating systems are Android and iOS, but BharOS, an up-and-coming Indian alternative, is also a contender. JandK Operations Private Limited, a firm founded by IIT Madras, is the one who is developing it. According to a press statement from IIT Madras on January 19, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is funding the native mobile operating system, which aims to serve the estimated 100 crore mobile phone users in India.

BharOS: What is it?

Like Android or iOS, it is a native, or homemade, mobile operating system (OS). These programmes ensure user safety while facilitating interaction and access to functions on smartphones. By providing a secure OS environment for users located in India, BharOS in particular aims to contribute to the idea of an independent India, or "Atmanirbhar Bharat."

According to the IIT Madras press release, the OS may be loaded on smartphones that are available for purchase.

With more of an emphasis on app customization than Android, BharOS is seen as a competitor to Android. BharOS looks to be more specialised and is being used in fewer applications than Android and iOS, which cater to more commercial and consumer-oriented use cases.

Screenshots of the operating system were displayed on a slide from the presentation that introduced BharOS. These included a plain home screen with the Indian flag, a list of app categories, and a few carefully chosen apps, such DuckDuckGo and Signal, which had met the OS's security and trust standards.

According to Karthik Ayyar, Director, BharOS would provide Native Over The Air (NOTA) updates, which would mean that security updates and bug fixes would be deployed automatically as opposed to users having to check for updates and implement them on their own.

BharOS will be accessible when?

According to IIT Madras, BharOS was used by organisations with "stringent privacy and security requirements" because their users handled sensitive information. As a result, mobile devices used by these organisations needed to be extra secure and carefully screened for potentially harmful or pointless apps.

According to IIT Madras, "Such customers demand access to private cloud services over private 5G networks."

The precise date that common folks will be able to access and instal BharOS has not yet been announced. The launch date for BharOS on smartphones and in app stores for Android and iOS are also unknown.

• Although iOS and Android are two of the most well-known mobile operating systems, BharOS is a new player in the space from India.
  
• BharOS looks to be more specialised and is being used in fewer applications than Android and iOS, which cater to more commercial and consumer-oriented use cases.
  
• -According to IIT Madras, BharOS has a No Default Apps (NDA) feature, which means users are not required to store or utilise pre-installed apps under this mobile operating system.