BharOS : India Develops Alternative Operating System to Android, iOS

Jan 24, 2023, 20:33 IST

New Delhi: In a bid to offer an alternative mobile Operating System (OS), the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Madras ) incubated firm indigenously developed a mobile Operating System called BharOS.

Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan successfully tested BharOS on Tuesday. Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was also present at the event.

“Congratulations to everyone involved in developing the system. For the very first time when our Prime Minister Narendra Modiji talked about digital India eight years ago, some of our friends mocked him, but today, technocrats, innovators, industries and policymakers, and academic institutions of the country have accepted his vision after eight years,” Dharmendra Pradhan said.

Like Android and iOS, the indigenously developed BharOS also focuses on privacy and security. It was developed by JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops), which has been incubated by IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation.

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

BharOS is an AOSP (Android Open Source Project) based operating system. Unlike Google and Apple’s mobile Operating Systems, BharOS comes with No Default Apps (NDA). It means the OS users will not be forced to use apps that they may not be familiar with or that they may not trust. People who wish to de-Google their mobile experience may opt for BharOS as it comes without any Google services.

BharOS is still under the development stage and its public release date has not been announced yet. However, the mobile OS is reportedly being supplied to those users and organisations that handle sensitive information and data that require additional layers of privacy and security.

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