Nothing is contemplating the event of its personal cellular working system, in line with CEO and founder Carl Pei. The UK startup’s handsets at the moment run on Google’s Android working system, with a customized interface working on prime. Most smartphones at this time run on Android, whereas Apple’s iPhone fashions run on iOS, the corporate’s cellular OS. Builders providing entry to standard apps on Android and iOS by way of the Play Retailer and App Retailer, respectively, whereas Huawei’s HarmonyOS is making an attempt to current a 3rd different, and Nothing might ultimately be a part of the fray.

Nothing Contemplating Improvement of Its Personal Cellular Working System

Throughout a discussion with Brian Heater at TechCrunch Disrupt, Pei mentioned that the corporate is exploring the event of a brand new working system to create a brand new income stream for the corporate, whereas additional establishing the startup within the cellular business. “We’re desirous about how we manoeuvre right here, and perhaps create one thing of our personal. Some type of working system,” he mentioned.

The co-founder and former CEO of OnePlus additionally acknowledged that such an working system would come with assist for synthetic intelligence (AI) function, however it will not be the “be-all and end-all”. Each Google and Apple have closely invested in options powered by machine studying and synthetic intelligence for his or her newest working system updates.

If Nothing had been to construct its personal OS, the corporate would give attention to bettering the person expertise, profiting from the entire info out there on units to supply a greater expertise, in line with Pei. He mentioned that the corporate might work on the challenge even within the absence of funding, and didn’t remark when Heater requested whether or not Nothing deliberate to lift funds to create its personal working system.

Pei’s firm is not the primary to think about the event of an working system to problem market leaders Google and Apple. Huawei has changed Android on a few of its units with its personal working system referred to as HarmonyOS, which presents entry to standard apps by way of the Huawei AppGallery.

So as to efficiently compete with Android and iOS, Nothing would wish to supply an identical app market and persuade builders to supply its apps on that platform. The shortage of entry to standard apps is extensively believed to be one of many causes cellular working techniques like Home windows Cellphone or Sailfish OS didn’t compete with Android and iOS.

Nothing beforehand introduced that its upcoming software program updates for its smartphones will likely be based mostly on Android — this contains the Nothing OS 3.0 replace, which relies on Android 15. If it does develop a brand new cellular OS, it’s more likely to arrive on a brand new smartphone that’s optimised to work with the corporate’s software program, which means that it could possibly be a number of months till we see a brand new handset with a brand new working system developed by Nothing.