Channels beat features
Back in 2016, “local-language Android for India” felt like the product. I thought the OS was the story. Turns out language was the wedge and distribution the business. @IndusOS looked like an India-first Android fork. By 2025 the gravity is app stores, billing, and OEM pipes. Channels beat features. 👇
I found this note I wrote in Dec 13, 2016: “Indus OS is an exciting new company… SMC Indic keyboard supports several Indian languages.” Context then: reports had Indus as India’s #2 smartphone platform at ~7% in Q3 ’16, and SMC’s keyboard filled real input gaps on entry Android phones.
Two paths to the same need: OS-level localization vs app level input. After 2017, Google shipped 22 Indic languages in Gboard, which turned a differentiator into a baseline. Indus leaned into App Bazaar and OEM distribution. In 2019, Samsung used Indus to localize Galaxy Store in 12 Indian languages.
By 2024, the bet was distribution. PhonePe launched Indus Appstore with ~200k apps, 12 languages, mobile number login, zero listing fees till Apr 1, 2025, and choice of payment gateways, and India’s antitrust moves on Play Billing gave tailwinds.
What aged well: local language UX matters, and community infra endures. SMC Indic Keyboard still ships, incl. 2024 F-Droid builds.
Surprise: the “OS” story became store + payments + OEM channels. Here’s what I’m still not sure about:
- Can an India-only store win without default preinstall? Should it even exist?
- Is input solved or is on-device Indic NLP next like an on-device @WisprFlow for India?
Here’s the original note from 2016: https://github.com/AnandChowdhary/notes/blob/main/notes/2016/indus-os-is.md