Alphabet Inc.’s Google is (quietly?) working on a new operating system from scratch under the project titled, Fuchsia OS. Okay, this piece of information is about a couple of years old. We already know that Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s top engineers are mysteriously developing a successor to Android called Fuchsia OS.
The project is founded to overcome the recurring limitations (read user privacy issues) of Android, the leading mobile operating system of present times. In addition, Google wants the new operating interface to smoothly absorb the future technological upgradation, in particular, it is talking about artificial intelligence, reports Bloomberg.
For this, the company had begun silently posting code on GitHub repository in 2016 and let the outside developers experiment with open-source coding. In the meantime, Google is doing R&D (research and development) on the applications compatible with Fuchsia OS, for example, interactive displays and voice command system for YouTube. So, till now we know that Project Fuchsia has multiple goals to achieve but without a roadmap or any timeline.
So What’s New About Fuchsia OS?
Swapping Existing Google Software
According to Bloomberg’s subject matter sources, Google is gradually expanding the scope of Fuchsia OS application along with its comprehensive coding feature. With the internal support of Pichai, over 100 engineers’ team is vigorously working on it. The search giant aims to embed Fuchsia OS on all the devices running on Google’s existing software including its Pixel range, Chromebooks, Google Home and third-party gadgets.
It is also considering giving a flexible design to the new OS such that it operates on a new range of Smart products like televisions, car infotainments and refrigerators later on.
The tech company has scheduled to install Fuchsia OS on smart home devices like Google Home within three years whereas it plans to upgrade bigger gadgets like laptops with the new OS within the next five years.
In nuts, the company intends to create a unifying OS platform holding a power to question the existence of Android and Chrome OS. And this means that the biggest roadblock for launching Fuchsia OS might be the high success ratio of Android and Chrome OS.
Android is a dominant mobile OS integrated into approximately 75 percent of the phones globally. Leading computer and laptop manufacturers like Samsung, Acer, LG as well as a huge developer community are also dependent on the Google software.
Similarly, Google’s another product Chrome OS is also an integral operating system that runs web-based laptops in many schools and other organizations.
Plus, Google’s present software systems are built on Linux kernel whereas Fuchsia OS root is Zircon. In that case, if the new OS is executed in short span, it could make all the existing devices incompatible. Therefore, it is simply not an easy task for Google to move this huge ecosystem to Fuchsia OS.
Google and User Privacy
Google is also tightening its security protocols on the new system, reveals online open codes. As analyzed by Bloomberg, the engineers have built encrypted user keys into Fuchsia OS which is a kind of privacy tool to ensure information is protected every moment the software is updated.
Though Google’s presence is widespread on the mobile devices, iPhone’s tiny share has a strong advantage when it comes to software ownership, user privacy and security features, as well as system, upgrade acceptance. Majority of iPhone owners update their phones as soon as the new software is launched whereas only 10 percent of Android users do so.
This is because Google is dependent on phone makers and telecom carriers to distribute the latest software updates. However, the later partners have different business priorities and may not have funds to perform such high-scaled update operations. To end the issue, the search giant has redesigned its agreement document with phone makers to upgrade the system multiple times a year.
Further, as per another revelation surfacing, internal teams are combating the future of Fuchsia OS.
The company’s advertising business is a million-dollar cash cow. The business model relies on user location and tracking activities. On the other side, Fuchsia OS stands against everything Google is all about.
Hence, Google’s engineering team working on Project Fuchsia and advertising team have come head-to-head on the basic promotional strategy for the Android successor. The former team wants to highlight security features and the promotional team designer is not in favor of the theme. Meanwhile, the 9to5Google noted that both the teams are now working towards redefining ‘user privacy’ itself.
