BharOS, a native mobile operating system developed by JandK Operations Private Limited, a non-profit organization of IIT Madras, is ready for Android and iOS. While this is a first from India, over the past few years many companies have tried their hand at creating a successful mobile operating system to rival Google’s Android. And nobody really succeeded. From Symbian OS to Windows Phone OS, here are all the major smartphone operating systems that have tried and failed to compete with Google.
Windows Phone OS
Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS could become one of the biggest mobile operating systems in the world. In fact, around the time Windows Phone OS 8 reached its peak, it offered a better user experience than Android. Microsoft’s failure to attract users due to its lack of apps compared to Android and iOS has not been successful. Developers haven’t really gotten into the Windows Phone platform either. So the platform slowly started to lose its market share.
Microsoft worked to make this OS a permanent mobile platform and even bought Nokia, a major smartphone brand, to further promote Windows Phones. However, neither Nokia nor Microsoft could withstand the competition from Android and iOS.
Brands like OnePlus, Micromax and even Lenovo have released phones with CyanogenOS.
Cyanogen OS
Although CyanogenOS is still on the market as LineageOS, it is not as popular as it used to be. CyanogenOS was based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and partnered with brands like OnePlus and Micromax’s YU to release phones with a custom CyanogenMod that promised a clean user interface with tons of customization options. In fact, the first OnePlus smartphone, the OnePlus 1, came with CyanogenOS. Similarly, Micromax Yu series smartphones also launched with CyanogenOS and even Lenovo released a phone named Zuk Z1 with CyanogenOS.
Many smartphones these days can get the official LineageOS version, but to use LineageOS you need to unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery. It’s a complicated process, so the LineageOS user base is limited to enthusiasts.
SailfishOS supports an Android app but did not have a Google Play Store.
SailfishOS
Like CyanogenOS, SailfishOS is a Linux-based mobile operating system that supports Android apps. in 2013 the launched operating system did not excel in the smartphone market due to the lack of an app store such as the Google Play Store. This operating system was mainly designed with privacy-oriented features. However, due to the lack of opportunities, Sailfish has not been able to shake up the smartphone world.
Symbian OS was considered the original smartphone OS (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Symbian (Episode 40)
Symbian (Series 40) is considered to be the very first smart mobile operating system optimized for both touch and non-touch devices. However, as Android started to evolve, Symbian couldn’t catch up and continued to offer an outdated user interface and didn’t even have the extensive app support that Android and iOS had, so users started to switch to Android for a better user experience. . and program selection.
Blackberry phone with touch and QWERTY keyboard support.
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Blackberry OS
Blackberry OS was once known for its security features. In fact, at one time the American president could only use a Blackberry, which has now been replaced by an iPhone. Blackberry phones and their OS were best suited for business professionals, and they were expensive. With affordable Android smartphone options, Blackberry failed to attract an audience that wanted affordable smartphones with a great operating system.
After some time, Blackberry abandoned its own OS and started offering phones with Android OS without Google Play Store. Again, even though it was based on AOSP, Blackberry devices failed to attract users and lost another chance to restore its former glory. The company is currently planning another comeback with 5G devices.
Advantages of Google Android
Google’s Android has several advantages over modern ones. The main appeal of Android is the choice of devices. Android is currently the only platform that offers devices as low as Rs 5,000 and even has the most expensive phones with technologies like foldable display, 5G connectivity, high resolution cameras and much more.
Compared to other OSes, Android is much more flexible, allowing OEMs to customize and build their own. For this reason, the Xiaomi smartphone is completely different from the Samsung and Google smartphones, despite the fact that it is based on the same Android OS. For enthusiasts, Google allows users to create their own ROMs (if you have the device’s kernel source code), sideload apps without rooting or jailbreak, customize the entire look, and with Google’s service, a phone running Android OS will have the ability. everything you’d expect from a modern connected device.