According to a report published in the Business Standard, the Indian Government is believed to be developing an indigenous operating system for mobiles in order to ensure a more secure experience for users. This has been confirmed by a top government official (unnamed). The OS will offer users more choices and is being seen as an entity that can compete with Apple and Google.
“India is one of the largest mobile device markets in the globe. Our objective is to create a secure Indian mobile operating system that could also create choices and competition for Android’s dominance in the Indian market and a smaller share of iOS,” a senior Indian government official said.
What is the current market share of Android and iOS in India?
At this moment, Android has a 97% market share in India, while iOS has a smaller share. It is believed that the Indian OS may be called IndOS. The idea is that the process of side loading of apps needs to be safer, and this is a responsibility that the government wants to take on since Android has denied shouldering the same, and so has most OEMs. Most OEMs state that they are simply manufacturing smartphones and offer some after-sales services and warranties. However, they believed Google should ensure security as the OS is Android.
“We offer a phone and after the sale to customers, take care of certain warranties. Google has to figure out with the CCI or the government who will be responsible for the security of the side-loaded apps. Certainly, it is not for us,” a device maker said.
IndOS is basically being created because both, Google and OEMs have denied responsibility. In light of this, the government itself is planning to safeguard the security of its users.