Facebook To Develop Its Own OS To Reduce Google's Control On Its Hardware

Facebook is reportedly working on its own operating system to reduce its future reliance on Android. Mark Lucovsky is leading this project. He used to work for Microsoft and was one of the authors of the Windows NT OS.

The report found on The Information shares little about how Facebook plans to use the new operating system but it does mention that two of the company’s products are running on a modified version of Android, Facebook’s Portal and Oculus.

As stated by Ficus Kirkpatrick, an AR and VR of Facebook, the company’s future hardware may no longer have to rely so much on Google’s OS, minimizing the search engine giant’s influence on the company’s products.

Apart from Portal and Oculus, Facebook is also developing its own augmented reality glasses, called Orion, which may be released in 2023. Apple has a plan for its own pair of AR glasses in the same year. That is not all. The company behind the world’s largest social media network is also developing a new interface, allowing users to use their thoughts to control the AR glasses.

According to the report on The Information, Facebook is following the same path Apple intends for its hardware. The company’s other projects include a voice assistant and a custom chip.

This is not the first time Facebook develops its own OS. The last attempt resulted in a disaster and what users had is something really similar to Android on an HTC phone released in 2013. The OS had little approval from users and we have not yet heard about it since.

Facebook will have to try harder this time if it wants users to except its OS, especially when the memory of its privacy scandals are still fresh.