Although now the domain of mobile operating systems is concentrated in Android and iOS, not long ago other systems or snacks coexisted among us. Technological evolution has been gigantic in this regard in recent years and it is important to know where we come from in order to know where we are going in terms of mobile software.
Whether you are an experienced mobile user, or if you have recently started in this fascinating world, it will be useful to know the systems that have allowed us to go from only being able to call with the mobile phone, to being able to control the domotics of our home , take high-resolution photos, and even upload them in minutes. However, operating systems have been unfolding over time and the term “Fork” has gained prominence.
Palm OS was the origin of a long history
We can say that the birth of operating systems created especially for mobiles occurred in 1996, a year where the technological revolution began to bear fruit. The person in charge of making this system a reality was Palm, designing a system that was designed for its PDAs that were later extended to those known as mobiles, but that after several problems ended up officially disappearing in 2007. A brand that created an idea that later tried to squeeze more thoroughly after going through various complicated situations and sales to different companies.
But despite its many problems, the operating system can be summed up as the birth of something greater. It had up to 5 stable versions, reaching Palm OS 5.5 offering solutions that to date no one will allow such as the calendar, the phone book, calculator or notes . The developers also have their niche and could offer applications to the system and there were more than 50,000 before the system shutdown.
Windows Mobile or Windows Phone, a whole revolution
Microsoft‘s history with mobile operating systems has not been short at all, back in the year 2000 we saw the first version of Windows Mobile intended for Pocket PCs that behaved like a small pocket computer , since the smartphone concept still there was something far away. This was originally an alternative to what was Palm OS, but with the decline of its possibilities it was reinvented to give life to Windows Phone which surely some of you remember.
Hand in hand with Windows Phone we could see mobiles from the prestigious HTC brand that already looked more like those we see today. Windows Phone 7 was its beginning taking into account where it came from and it reached Windows 10 for mobile phones, where the circle was closed after several attempts to compete against the increasingly large Android systems and also iOS. Windows Phone 8 with its aesthetics called Modern UI was the most popular, although its block-based system had as many criticisms as Windows 8 for computers. An operating system that had everything we wanted at that time; keyboard, app store and even virtual assistant and yet it was not quite feasible.
Symbian, what could be and was not
Among the most mythical systems for mobile phones, Symbian cannot be absent, which is an indispensable part of the software in popular brands such as Nokia, its owner and also present in Samsung, Siemens, Lenovo or Motorola. It was born in 1997 but it was not until 2008 when it gained the touch functions that reconverted mobile phones, specifically in the Symbian OS 9.2 version.
A system that was the driving force behind the widgets but that despite the innovations that it introduced, its many errors and failures ended up making it pass away and gradually be forgotten. However, other things if they did well, giving great relevance to multimedia content and putting the camera above other aspects as in the emblematic Nokia N95. In 2012, the system was closed, leaving behind a long journey full of changes and attempts that would leave Nokia in a difficult position in the world of mobile telephony.
Ubuntu Touch, the promised revolution
This system that was born with the idea of really bringing Linux to mobiles inflated and deflated at high speed, its birth in full swing of Android and iOS played a trick on it. Although the idea was not bad, the difficulties to take off without applications cost it to be forgotten and although BQ, the Spanish brand gave it an opportunity, this was not enough and in 2017 the development was in the hands of the users so that they could continue to your luck.
WebOS, from mobile to TV
Although WebOS is currently the optional system used by LG televisions, there was a day when it was present in the brand’s mobiles. A system that was born from the hand of Palm that with their second attempt had a little more success and after presenting several models of their own mobiles with this system, in 2010 the promising software was acquired by HP, something that lasted just 1 year and leaving users to their own devices.
Later, the year 2013 would arrive, when LG saw possibilities in the system and brought it to their televisions, although many continued to dream of returning it to mobile phones. The last part of the story would come in 2021 when LG puts aside the world of mobile phones and opens the doors of WebOS to other TV manufacturers to gain relevance.
BlackBerry OS left its legacy
The closed code system of the BlackBerry company had its heyday in certain countries, among which Spain was present. A system that was perfectly adapted to the use of the classic BlackBerry keyboard, but when it came to making the leap to touchscreens with BlackBerry OS 10 it could not keep up with Android and iOS. In January 2013 this system was discontinued and with it left a legacy that caused the firm to be sold to TCL to adapt to the Android world.
Firefox OS, an unsuccessful idea
Through the popular browser, this web-based operating system was developed with the support of large companies such as Telefónica or Alcatel. An idea born together with the Linux kernel that allowed us to use apps without having to download them, something that currently makes more sense given the speeds we have. It began its journey in 2015 and just two years later it was closing the doors without leaving pain or glory. A system very focused on lower power terminals and that emerged as an alternative to what iOS and Android were achieving at that time, but in this case with the advantage of showing off performance with purely online apps.
iOS, the system that would change everything
Apple‘s closed operating system does not need presentations, being the system that managed to give value not only to performance but also to the visual and graphic aspect. Its birth took place in 2007 at the hands of Steve Jobs together with the first iPhone that astonished the world with a touch screen with possibilities never seen before. Little by little in its different versions we saw important evolutions such as the integration of the app store, the arrival of Siri as a great revolution and allowing more and more things in the most recognized closed source system in the world , which still has a long way to go. journey ahead after getting to know iOS 15 with more and more services of its own and integration of its own ecosystem.
Little by little it became the system par excellence, being imitated little by little by the layers of customization of Android with the desire to achieve something similar. Its animations and different touches have never gone unnoticed, allowing us to show that iOS takes care of all the details. In the path that has led it to be so relevant, privacy and security have played an important role, being a closed system the possibility of encountering security breaches is reduced, that made Apple focus a lot of its attention and marketing on this appearance.
Android, the most popular
Back in 2013, hitherto unknown Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White began creating Android, a system that was born designed for digital cameras although it ended up adapting to mobile phones to gain prominence. It was not until 2007 when the first version 1.0 with the dessert name Apple Pie saw the light, giving way to what has become the most widespread operating system in the world . In 2011 it managed to surpass the already prominent iOS in market share and its growth that is only increasing with more and more applications in its store and a promising future that places us on Android 12 and that has become present in cars and televisions.
Although Android is the operating system par excellence, much of it is thanks to the Forks or better known as customization layers, which manufacturers integrate into Android mobiles. A very useful tool that gives developers more possibilities, allowing the integration of differentiating functions between brands with a totally different aesthetic. There are many layers of customization that have also existed, although most have passed without a pain of glory before us, we will show you which are the most important:
Samsung / One UI
Samsung’s user interface under the name One UI saw the light in 2019 together with the Galaxy 10, making a great change in the system after having been known until then as TouchWiz. It is currently immersed in the One UI 3 version, but on the horizon they are beginning to talk about One UI 4. It is a customization layer that focuses largely on the graphic and visual aspect, bringing the best performance to mobile phones. brand.
Huawei / EMUI
The manufacturer Huawei joined the fashion of the layers with Emotion UI, which began to be known as EMUI that same year 2012, until reaching the version of EMUI 11 in which we currently find ourselves and which will possibly be the last with the arrival of its new operating system, which we will learn about later. A layer deeply rooted in Asian aesthetics that managed to gain a foothold in Spain by adapting more and more similarities with iOS . It stands out for having many of its own tools and is very different from what is Android Stock.
Xiaomi / MIUI
This is another of the layers of personalization coming directly from China and that have best adapted to everyone, making Xiaomi a benchmark. MIUI was born in 2010 without leaving anything relevant, but little by little it has become practically an operating system due to all the options it integrates. There is no doubt when we are before MIUI that we have a Xiaomi mobile in our hands and that has gone very well in recent years, although without also missing the appointment with the criticism for repeatedly copying iOS. The great barrage of devices has ended up causing MIUI to also be synonymous with failures in some versions, that is why in the latest version MIUI 12.5 the firm is trying to change that.
OPPO / ColorOS
Another layer of customization that until now had gone unnoticed by many is ColorOS, developed by OPPO for more than 10 years and has come together with the company’s mobiles to give a twist to the entire system. It has an aesthetic more similar to Android, boasting speed and lightness, but without forgetting the customization options and being influential in many other layers that we will see.
LG UX / LG
After the little success of the WebOS operating system itself, in 2013 LG embraced Android with all its might along with its own customization layer. A modification of the aspect that little by little went to more, gaining possibilities and prominence, although nevertheless it has never been its strong point. With the customization and the good know-how of LG, he demonstrated on Android that the customization layers had a lot to offer , but the machinery was deflating little by little until in 2021 the LG mobile division has closed and with it we also we say goodbye to an innovative coat.
Layers of “redesigned” personalization
Since some brands have a direct relationship with others, there are many layers of customization that only change the name and slightly the appearance. The same occurs with the BBK Electronics Corporation group to which OPPO, OnePlus, Realme and Vivo belong, manufacturers that have different customization layers and respectively called ColorOS, OxygenOS, Realme UI and Funtouch OS.
On the other hand, there are those who use stock Android as a base, for example Motorola or Nokia, which have chosen to keep Android practically without layers, but with small modifications that improve the system for their needs.
HarmonyOS, the last in discord
To close the history of mobile operating systems, we cannot forget about HarmonyOS, the new system created by Huawei after the veto imposed by the United States that prevents it from maintaining relations with companies in the country and therefore had to stop using the services of Google. The arrival of this system perfectly sums up the history of Android given that from what is known to date, it is a new system developed from EMUI and Android that is gradually becoming independent. For now, its base is still Android, but we will see how it evolves and what it ends up becoming.