There is no doubt that Android is a very popular operating system in the world. Google's mobile operating system has captured more than 76% of the market share and shows no signs of backing down. Although this may not seem like a big deal on the surface, giving too much control and power to one company can be devastating in the end. Huawei's recent controversy has made this clear. It's time for major smartphone manufacturers to start developing alternative operating systems to Android. In this article, we'll look at the operating system, why Android alternatives are needed, and then take a look at what mobile operating systems are available on the market that can replace Android.

Before we look at the best Android alternatives on the market, let’s first look at why we need worthy Android alternatives on the market.

Why do we need Android alternatives?

As the market share suggests, people must love Android, and Google is really working hard to keep Android's momentum going. However, like most things in life, we should have choices. There are many reasons why we need Android alternatives. Google has been criticized worldwide for not making Android truly secure, with reports saying that Android is the most vulnerable to malware and viruses.

There’s also the issue of Android fragmentation . For those who don’t know, devices running different versions of Android lead to poor app experiences, development issues, and security problems. For example, Android (Android Pie) only runs on 10.4% of devices. Google tried to address this with Project Treble, which was introduced with Android Nougat, and new additional features are being tested in Android Q. While the situation has improved, it’s still far from enough.

Even if you don’t mind OS redundancy, security risks, and update delays, you should consider the dominance of the Android OS worldwide. Since there are no other reliable Android alternatives (not considering iOS) OS on the market, Google has too much control over the smartphone market. The recent Huawei incident, where Google restricted Huawei from using Android, is a big warning to all of us. Although Google’s decision was made at the behest of the US government, it still shows what it means for a company to hold too much power.

Huawei is developing its operating system to cope with this impact, but this is not something that all smartphone manufacturers can do. It is normal to maintain healthy competition in the market. For now, only the following systems may replace Android in the future.

The 8 most promising mobile operating systems to replace Android

1. iOS

Android and iOS have been competing with each other for a long time. Both Android and iOS have a good user base. Google has sales and Apple has profits. Although Apple will never share iOS with any other company, it is the biggest competitor of Android in the market at present.

Android and iOS have always borrowed from each other, which is one of the reasons why both operating systems are so feature-rich. This is one of the great benefits of competition. Despite the similarities, iOS has its own unique interface and features on the table. It has a unified interface for all apps unlike Android, smooth animations, Apple-exclusive apps, regular updates, but no third-party apps of great quality. On iOS, you also get the full suite of Google apps, while most of the Apple apps are not found on Android.

Overall, it all comes down to your choice of ecosystem. Considering the high prices Apple charges for its iPhones and iPads, iOS isn’t a replacement for everyone, and it doesn’t solve many of the Android problems we discussed above. However, if you want a mature mobile operating system that can now compete with Android, then iOS is indeed your best choice.

advantage:

• Beautiful user interface
• Smooth operation
• Regular updates
• High-quality applications

shortcoming:

• Closed source operating system
• The equipment is expensive

2. SIRIN OS

Most of us may have forgotten about blockchain after the boom ended, but the core community is still there and the technology is slowly but surely developing. If we really want to challenge Android’s dominance and create a secure mobile operating system, blockchain is one of the biggest opportunities. SIRIN Labs has been a leader in this technology and they have already made a blockchain smartphone called “Finney” that runs on their own SIRIN OS.

The operating system is completely blockchain-based and secure enough to act as your blockchain wallet. The best part about SirinOS is that it will still give users access to Google Play, which means they will be able to use all of their favorite Android apps from before. What sets SIRIN OS apart is the enhanced security of the entire device and the built-in blockchain wallet accessible through a secure screen.

advantage:

• Protected by blockchain technology
• Allow access to Google Play Store
• Easy to use

shortcoming:

• A bit ahead of the times for consumers
• The phone is a bit expensive

3. KaiOS

KaiOS You may have never heard of it, because KaiOS is usually equipped with low-end hardware. Currently, you can find KaiOS in Nokia Banana phones.

KaiOS is a Linux-based mobile operating system that aims to "combine the power of smartphones with the affordability of feature phones". The system is a replica of B2G (Boot to Gecko), the open source community successor to Firefox OS that Mozilla stopped developing in 2016. The main feature of KaiOS is that it brings HTML5-based applications to non-touch devices, supports 4G LTE, GPS and Wi-Fi, and brings an optimized user interface, less memory and power consumption. Users can also download other applications from its app store.

Although Google has launched the Android Go program for the low-end market, it is still ahead of the curve in terms of the market, at least as far as KaiOS is concerned. Once KaiOS captures the low-end of the smartphone market, developers will continue to challenge Android's authority. It has great potential to become a worthy alternative to Android.

advantage:

• Lightweight operating system
• Support for web-based applications
• Continuous Updates

shortcoming:

• Not ready for the major Android smartphone market

4. Ubuntu Touch

Ubuntu Touch is another powerful mobile operating system that I am optimistic about, just like its desktop version Ubuntu Touch. As the name suggests, Ubuntu Touch is the Ubuntu operating system that has been optimized for touch devices such as smartphones and tablets. The best thing about Ubuntu Touch is that it is an open source operating system and any smartphone manufacturer can use it, thus democratizing the operating system.

Another great thing about Ubuntu Touch is that while it runs natively in a mobile touchscreen environment, it is also capable of being used as a desktop computer in "Desktop Mode." The OS also comes with all the essential open source applications such as messaging, calendars, chat apps, music apps, weather, maps, etc. Overall, this is a great mobile OS and the open source Android alternative that everyone wants.

The operating system is currently maintained by the community and therefore relies on donations to keep developing. If you want to donate and support it, you can do so on its website.

advantage:

• Open source operating system
• Comes with all the essential apps
• Can be used as a desktop

shortcoming:

• Can't match Android's third-party app support
• Developed by the community, there is no stable investment in development.

5. Tizen operating system

Among all the upcoming mobile operating systems, Tizen has gained fame due to the support of Samsung. Tizen was born after Nokia decided to kill Meego, an operating system developed by Nokia and Intel. Well, Intel chose Samsung, and they collaborated to revive Meego as Tizen OS. While Tizen looks similar to Samsung’s Android skin TouchWiz, it is quite different under the hood. The OS works similarly to Android, but there are a lot of gestures for intuitive interaction. Tizen OS is an HTML5 OS, which will make it easier for developers to develop applications.

Although Tizen has failed to gain traction with developers or users, Samsung’s involvement has kept people interested. Samsung has released a lot of devices running this OS, including smartphones and various Gear wearables, so we know that the Korean giant is indeed serious about it. In fact, all of its flagship watches, including the Gear S4 and Galaxy Watch, are powered by Tizen OS. After seeing Huawei’s plight, there is no doubt that Samsung will become more serious about Tizen OS. It is also very promising as one of the Android alternatives.

advantage:

• Strong HTML5 support
• Intuitive gestures

shortcoming:

• Third-party app support is negligible

6. Harmony OS

If there is one company that can successfully launch an Android alternative, it is Huawei. Huawei has always been at the forefront of smartphone technology. The company not only produces some of the best smartphones on the market, but also produces its own chipsets and is a pioneer in 5G networks. Currently, the latest version of Huawei Mate30/Pro 5G version is already on the market . Following the US government's ban on Huawei, Google announced that Huawei phones are prohibited from pre-installing Google applications, which will largely allow Huawei to accelerate the development of the Hongmeng system.

The new operating system of Harmony OS will be a distributed operating system based on a microkernel, and it will support Android applications. The operating system will be faster and smoother than Android. Although initially used for IoT devices such as smart displays, wearable devices, smart speakers, etc., Harmony OS will also be compatible with smartphones. Huawei said that the company will release its SDK as soon as possible so that developers can use it. Although Harmony OS is still in its early stages, it will become the biggest competitor of Android released in recent years.

Custom ROMs/Android Forks

There are some mobile operating systems that are trying to be alternatives to Android and there are some custom ROMs that are based on Android. You must be wondering why I am mentioning custom ROMs as alternatives to Android because they are more or less Android. Various custom ROMs and companies have been produced recently that are building their own OS based on the Android code. The operating systems developed using the base Android code are called Forked Android operating systems and although they may be Android, they are different. Custom ROMs and Android forked operating systems have tried to replace Google services with various other alternatives to make them unique.

Well, let’s look at the best custom ROMs and derived Android operating systems that give Android a run for its money:

7. LineageOS

We start with the most famous custom ROM, LineageOS. Although you may not be familiar with the name, you have definitely heard of CyanogenMod. LineageOS is actually the same custom ROM as CyanogenMod. In the fall of 2016, Cyanogen Inc. announced that it would stop development and shut down the infrastructure behind the project. Since then, the developer community has kept the project alive under the name of LineageOS. LineageOS is built on top of Google's AOSP code and adds its own custom code to it. It can be used as a standalone ROM or as the source code for many other custom ROMs.

It has the largest development team and officially supports more than 190 devices. The ROM includes some basic but useful features, which include but are not limited to customizing the status bar, changing the overall theme, editing the navigation bar, and more. While Google's AOSP is just a barebones system, LineageOS makes it customizable while maintaining stability. The ROM offers versions for Android Marshmallow (6.x) and Nougat (7.x), and support for Oreo (8.0) is coming soon. In addition, the list of officially supported devices also includes offerings from Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and others.

advantage:

• Based on Android AOSP
• Support for existing devices
• Stable and available

shortcoming:

• Apps that depend on Google Play Services

8. Paranoid Android

Paranoid Android is one of the most highly praised custom ROMs of all time. The development team is dedicated to bringing a polished and refined experience while using minimal resources. While it may not offer as many features and customizations as other ROMs, Paranoid Android does guarantee a smooth user experience. It has its own unique features, such as the hover mode, which allows users to view and interact with notifications from any screen (which was then integrated into AOSP as part of the heads-up notification).

It also offers its own version of the PIE menu, as well as a fully immersive mode for Android. Paranoid Android has long been seen as a major project that brought many features to Google, the biggest of which was the ambient mode, which appeared in the form of Peek in PA. In recent PA updates, it brought gesture controls, app lock features, Pixel Launcher, and more.

advantage:

• Based on Android AOSP
• Support for existing devices
• Stable and available

shortcoming:

• Apps that depend on Google Play Services
• Not as customizable as some other Android ROMs

What do you think of these Android alternative operating systems?

So far, I have introduced the eight mobile operating systems that are most likely to replace Android. Which operating system may pose a serious challenge to Android in the future? Welcome to discuss in the comment area.