Facebook Currently Working on a Brand New OS in Order to Drop Android

In order to reduce its reliance on Google's Android, Facebook is currently working on a brand new operating system (OS), according to a new report by The Information. The man in charge of this ambitious project is Mark Lucovsky, the co-author of Microsoft's Windows NT.

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Planning for the next generation

“We really want to make sure the next generation has space for us,” Facebook’s head of hardware, Andrew Bosworth, told The Information. “We don’t think we can trust the marketplace or competitors to ensure that’s the case. And so we’re gonna do it ourselves.”

Not much information is available on how the new operating system could be used. However, Facebook’s Oculus and Portal devices currently rely on a modified version of Android.

The move could mean that that reliance would end. The report also states that Facebook may be seeking to imitate Apple when it comes to its hardware in the future. Earlier this year reports surfaced that Facebook was also working on its own custom chip hardware.

Second time's a charm

This isn't the first time Facebook tries to create its own operating system. Back in 2013, it created Facebook Home which was software sitting on top of Android.

The attempt, unfortunately, was not well received, and this was before all the Facebook privacy scandals emerged. Let's hope Facebook has better luck this time.