Android and iOS are popular, but other systems have history. Get to know them!
A survey conducted by Cupom Válido in conjunction with Statista and Statcounter revealed that 81% of consumers in Brazil have smartphones with the Android operating system, while 18% use iOS. In this intense competition between Google and Apple, there is little room for other options.
According to the same study, around 1% of smartphone users worldwide choose operating systems other than Android and iOS. While this may seem like a small proportion, it still represents a significant number of people. Below, we have compiled some of these alternative mobile systems that have been present or continue to exist recently.
List of operating systems
In addition to the well-known Android and iOS, other mobile operating systems are also important in the market, although on a smaller scale compared to the two major companies. Let's now explore some of these most recognized alternative systems.
Those who have already been:
Windows XP
The operating system was compatible with the ITG xpPhone (xpPhone) and VCP08 (ViewSonic) handsets. However, despite the theoretically positive outlook, similar to its computer counterpart, the system failed to attract user interest and was eventually discontinued.
Facebook Home
In 2013, Facebook attempted to introduce its own system for its social network on smartphones, essentially introducing a type of application that modified the structure of Google's Android system.
Facebook Home thus promoted modifications to the Android interface to constantly display interactions from the social network, including messages, likes and posts. Initially, it was possible to download the application from the Google Play Store. However, Facebook did not limit itself to this and went on to launch the HTC First cell phone, a collaboration with HTC, which was dubbed the Facebook Phone.
In addition to these mentioned mobile operating systems, there are also a number of others that have existed or are still in use, such as: GrapheneOS, LineageOS, Firefox OS, /e/, PureOS, Plasma Mobile, PostmarketOS, SailfishOS, Sirin OS, among others.
Those that still exist:
Kaios
Created to serve the feature phone category, the KaiOS system was designed with simplicity in mind, aiming to meet the needs of these basic devices. It is interesting to note that, before the popularization of smartphones, feature phones were the best-selling devices.
But, far from remaining stagnant in the face of market developments, cell phones that adopt the KaiOS system have undergone a revitalization. Today, this software allows users to access 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi and GPS connections, as well as use some of the most popular applications, including WhatsApp and Facebook.
The system is built on HTML5 and supports JavaScript, but it is not compatible with Android and iOS platforms. However, KaiOS's unique feature lies in its lightness, making it ideal for operating more quickly on basic cell phones with limited memory and processing capacity.
Ubuntu Touch is an open source operating system based on the Ubuntu Linux distribution. It stands out for its simple interface and its proposal to bring the desktop experience of the computer system to smartphones, with an emphasis on accessibility in terms of cost. Ubuntu Touch is used in devices from the PinePhone, PineTab and FairPhone lines.
Harmony OS
You are probably already familiar with the Chinese brand Huawei. This mobile phone manufacturer has developed its own operating system, called Harmony OS. This software is built in a very similar way to Android and iOS, offering its own app store and being compatible in all countries.