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BharOS: Can India’s Indigenous Operating System Break the Apple-Google Duopoly?

  • Writer: Kumar Ujjwal
    Kumar Ujjwal
  • 3 days ago
  • 3 min read

📅 By News Anek Digital Desk | June 19, 2025

“Har cheez mein ‘Make in India’, toh OS kyu nahi?” – asks a Bengaluru coder, sipping chai at a tech meetup.

India’s ambition to build an indigenous mobile operating system has officially taken shape. The government, in partnership with premier institutions and select startups, is accelerating the development of “BharOS”—a homegrown OS that could one day rival Android and iOS in both security and scale.


This is not just about technology. It’s about digital sovereignty, data ownership, and reducing dependence on global tech giants that control 99% of India’s smartphone ecosystem.


🔍 What is BharOS?


BharOS is a Linux-based, AOSP-derived (Android Open Source Project) operating system developed under a government-backed initiative, with key contributions from IIT Madras-incubated startup JandK Operations Pvt Ltd. Unlike commercial Android, BharOS:


  • Has no default apps

  • Does not track user behavior

  • Allows custom app stores from vetted sources

  • Is optimized for data privacy and security

Think of it like Android—but with total control in Indian hands, from app permissions to backend telemetry.

🧠 Why Does India Need Its Own OS?


Let’s break this down—because this isn’t just about patriotic coding. It’s about strategic survival in a digitally colonized world.


1. Tech Dependency


Google and Apple control:


  • 98% of smartphone OS in India

  • 100% of app store access

  • 30% commission on all app sales


This makes Indian startups, developers, and users subordinate to foreign policy and profit rules.


2. Data Security


Over 750 million Indians use smartphones. That’s massive volumes of behavioral data, often routed through clouds outside India.

With BharOS, data can be:


  • Stored locally

  • Managed under Indian law

  • Monitored by national cybersecurity teams


3. Geopolitical Push


In the age of 5G bans on Huawei, India’s semiconductor race, and ‘Digital Atmanirbharta’, an Indian OS becomes a tech weapon just like a missile or a drone.


🧱 Challenges: Why Building an OS is NOT a Joke


Let’s not sugarcoat it—this isn’t a college hackathon.


❌ App Ecosystem Problem


Android has 3.5 million apps. iOS has 2.2 million.

BharOS? Maybe 50–100 pre-vetted apps as of now.

No WhatsApp? No Instagram? Forget mass adoption. Without native access to everyday apps, BharOS remains a niche dream.


❌ Device Compatibility


Every phone runs a different chipset, screen resolution, and camera module. BharOS needs to be ported and optimized for hundreds of Indian and Chinese-made devices.

“Custom ROMs like LineageOS struggle to work across all phones—imagine scaling that nationwide,” says a mobile developer from Noida.

❌ Developer Incentives


Google and Apple have deep pockets. They pay devs, run hackathons, sponsor colleges. For BharOS to attract real developer love, the government needs to:


  • Set up grants

  • Offer revenue sharing

  • Create dev-friendly APIs


🔄 How BharOS Differs from Android & iOS

Feature

Android (Google)

iOS (Apple)

BharOS (India)

App Store

Google Play

App Store

Custom Private Stores

Default Apps

Pre-installed (Gmail, Maps, YouTube)

Pre-installed (Safari, FaceTime)

None

Data Collection

Extensive

Controlled but deep

Minimal

Control

Corporate

Corporate

Institutional / Govt-supported

Open Source

Partially

No

Fully (via AOSP)

🚀 Where BharOS is Being Deployed First


As of now, BharOS is being pilot-tested in government departments, PSUs, and defense sectors. The strategy is:


  1. Start with secure installations (e.g., defense networks, cabinet communication)

  2. Move to state-level offices (education, transport, police)

  3. Eventually roll out to citizen phones via OEM partners


🤔 News Anek Expert View: Will This Work?

“BharOS isn't just an OS—it's a digital freedom movement. But if we treat it like a patriotic token project, it’ll die faster than a TikTok clone.”

India needs to go all in:


  • Make BharOS default on 10 crore budget smartphones

  • Incentivize Made-in-India apps (a BharApp fund?)

  • Create public app stores for health, education, governance

  • Ban bloatware from phones sold in India

It worked for UPI. It worked for Aadhaar. BharOS can work—if backed with will, wisdom, and wallets.


🔮 What the Future Might Look Like (If Done Right)


Imagine this:


  • You buy a ₹5,000 phone in a Jharkhand village.

  • It boots with BharOS.

  • There’s no Gmail or Chrome—but you get:

    • DigiLocker

    • CoWin

    • mParivahan

    • Krishi apps

  • No ads. No trackers. No spyware.


That’s the India we can build—with data dignity, user freedom, and zero surveillance capitalism.


📊 Summary Snapshot


Element

Status

Name

BharOS

Base

AOSP (Android Open Source)

Developer

IIT-Madras incubated startup + Govt

Focus

Security, Privacy, No Default Apps

Stage

Pilot trials in government departments

Challenge

App ecosystem, phone compatibility

Potential

Massive, if scaled right

📢 Final Word from News Anek


We don’t need a 5-star hotel OS.

We need a ration card OS—rugged, open, and desi.

If BharOS gets government, private, and public collaboration, it might just become India’s digital weapon in a world ruled by tech empires. Otherwise, it risks becoming another folder in the Ministry of IT’s archive.

Let’s build not just an OS, but OS-taqbal.

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