In announcing the creation of BharOS, the ITT said that it can be installed on “commercial off-the-shelf handsets” delivering “a secure environment for users.” The operating system has no pre-loaded apps and it doesn’t share any user data. Only private app stores will work with the OS. Pradhan also stated that BharOS won’t run malware although there was no further explanation given.
BharOS, created in India, was unveiled last week
While the operating system is installed with no default apps, native over-the-air updates will automatically disseminate security patches without waiting for the device owner to initiate the process. This means that all BharOS users will be running the latest version of the software.
Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “BharOS Service is a Mobile Operating System built on a foundation of trust, with a focus on providing users more freedom, control, and flexibility to choose and use only the apps that fit their needs. This innovative system promises to revolutionize the way users think about security and privacy on their mobile devices.”
Kamakoti added, “IIT Madras looks forward to working closely with many more private industry, Government agencies, Strategic agencies, and Telecom Service Providers to increase the usage and adoption of BharOS in our Country.” However, it needs to be pointed out that BharOS is a forked version of Android meaning that it copies the source code used by Android. That is what Amazon used to create FireOS for the Fire Phone. These phones do not need to have a Google Mobile Service (GMS) license but do not offer any Google apps, or the Google Play Store.
