Google's plan of developing an ‘Android for India' is finally coming true

Android is one of the most popular Operating Systems for smartphones. However, this Android model is not our own, but borrowed from other tech advanced countries like China, Japan and USA. For this reason, Google India is on a mission to develop an indigenous Android model for India and has dedicated teams and resources in its research, based in Bengaluru and London.  

In order to make this mission a reality, Google India has collaborated with Reliance Jio Networks and has come up with JioPhone Next, an Android model made by Indians for Indians. While none of the tech giants revealed details about their ongoing research and development, their goals are pretty straightforward. Let us understand them in further details.  

Android One: The prelude to ‘Android for India’ mission 
Google, in partnership with Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobile, had launched its first set of ‘Android One’ phones way back in 2014, under the instructions of Sundar Pichai, who was then the Vice President of Google and in charge of Android and Chrome. All the three brands came up with phones that were within INR 6500 and promised to offer clean stock Android experience for budget users of smartphones. This was one of the first ever attempts in developing ‘Android for India’ under a limited price point.  

Unfortunately, Android One was a failed attempt due to lack of innovation and variety. Not to forget, Wi-Fi was yet to be launched and mobile data was comparatively costlier, until Jio in 2016 came and gradually altered the scenario.  

In 2017, Google reattempted, this time with Xiaomi’s Mi A range that offered better Android specifications overall and had a price of INR 14,999. While this phone became an overnight hit, its Android One never became the talk of the nation.  

PragatiOS: Google’s made-in-India android version 
Google is going to launch its made-in-India android version in collaboration with Reliance Jio on their budget smartphone, JioPhone Next. This android version is known as PragatiOS. It will be able to translate all text across all apps in the user’s own regional language apart from reading out the text in the same preferred language. The camera is also supposed to be better than most small budget phones to ensure quality pictures.