Alternative operating systems to Android

Android OS is developed and supported by Google. It is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. In Q2 2017, it holds 87.7% of the market.

Android is a Linux-based operating system available for phones, tablets, smartwatches, TVs, game consoles, digital players, laptops, netbooks and more. It is easy to customize, flexible and high performance. Android development never stops and Google regularly announces updates. For most users, there is nothing better.

But despite all the benefits, there are some problems. Sometimes you can think of alternative operating systems. In addition to well-known platforms, you can find really interesting solutions.

Tizen OS

Tizen is an open source operating system for Linux-based mobile devices. The Linux Foundation officially supports the operating system, which is why it is often considered to be the official Linux mobile. As for the manufacturers, Tizen is the choice of Intel and Samsung. The first phone model, the Samsung Z, was introduced in 2015, but was not successful.

Tizen OS has had several serious security issues, but Samsung is constantly working to improve the operating system. Very few applications available, application development is not active, because developers are not yet interested in the platform. It has an interface very similar to Android and does not have unique features.

Plasma Mobile

Most Linux users know a lot about KDE and its distributions. Recently, the Mobile team announced Plasma for smartphones and tablets. The official version is based on Kubuntu 16.04, with a KDE Neon environment. It offers an attractive and high-performance interface. The platform is still under development and is currently only available on the Nexus 5. Despite the creation process, it is not as active as Android development, the operating system looks promising and we look forward to seeing if it becomes an Android competitor with full rights. Attractive interface. Open source. In the early stage of development.

Free OS

Librem OS is not distributed separately, but comes with the Librem 5 phone. It is developed by the Pure - Linux distro operating system team focused on high level protection, security and user data protection. The developers plan to run it based on various Linux distributions - in addition to the Pure operating system, it will include Fedora, Arch Linux, Debian, Ubuntu, and SUSE.

The development team intends to use free and open source software and wants to create the entire ecosystem. It will be very interesting to see how they want to implement the plan. High level of protection and security. Attractive interface with unique features. At present, it is in the early stage of development.

Sailfish OS

When Nokia decided to stop developing the MeeGo mobile operating system, some developers wanted to keep the project alive with Sailfish OS . The group of developers called Jolla announced the first smartphone with a new operating system very similar to MeeGo. The company later planned to launch the Jolla Tablet, but it was never announced.

The operating system is completely touch screen optimized and is controlled by gestures. It offers some unique features, but there is still a lot to do. The creators also invite good programmers to join the development of mobile applications for the operating system. Among other things, Sailfish will most likely become a perfect Android competitor in the future.

Eelo

The creator of the popular Linux operating system called Mandriva Linux, also known as Mandrake Linux, Gael Duval introduced his own mobile operating system Eelo . He believes that in the long run, the models of Apple, Google, Facebook and other corporations are disastrous for our monetary and social environment.

To restore privacy for himself and others, Duval decided to create his own open-source operating system. It will be built on LineageOS. At the moment, Eelo is launched on the LeEco LE2 smartphone, but the developer is also involved in porting the distribution to Xiaomi Mi5S and LG G6.

He created Bliss Launcher. Overall, the interface looks like a mix of iOS and firmware from Chinese manufacturers. Because Duval wants to get as far away from Google as possible, DuckDuckGo and Qwantare are used as search engines.

The system comes pre-installed with Telegram, OnlyOffice + NextCloud, OpenStreetMap, iRedMail and other independent services.

The developer will launch a campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for the development of the operating system. He promises in the next three years to release two versions of Eelo for smartphones and a distribution for desktop computers.

Despite the fact that there are some Android alternatives, most of them are in the early development phase. I'm not sure they will become Android competitors in the near future. However, the development of Android applications continues, and the platform gets better every year.