14 DAY TRIAL // Cyanogen started as a standalone company back in 2013, and since then, the open source community surrounding Android has changed a lot.
Nowadays we see phones launching with Cyanogen OS out of the box, as the startup pursues its dream of making Android more Google-free. And today, Cyanogen takes another step forward with the launch of the open source platform SDK for aspiring developers.
The Cyanogen Platform SDK is a collection of APIs developed by Cyanogen and the CyanogenMod community that will allow devs to tap into “key parts of the platform.” The goal is to allow those interested in developing for Cyanogen to do so in a more approachable and modular way.
You can start developing for Cyanogen now
The official blog cites the recent TreeHacks hackathon that took place at the Standford University as inspiration for the launch of the SDK.
The Software Development Kit will allow developers to tap into existing APIs so that they can further extend CyanogenMod, but will also introduce new APIs for others to work with.
We’re given an example of a Quick Tile that lets you turn your smartphone into a bike computer. This is achieved by using the existing Quick Settings Tile API, which is among the first to be offered by the new kit.
Cyanogen is currently “seeding” the alpha version of the SDK with the API mentioned above being the only one made available for the time being.
If the initiative proves to be successful, app developers will slowly start to be motivated to develop for Cyanogen and CyanogenMod devices.
Given that one of the stated goals of Cyanogen is to make Android more open, it makes sense for the startup to want to make it easier for partners to access the insides of Android.
The Cyanogen Platform SDK is currently in its infancy, so there’s not much we can talk about at the moment regarding it. But perhaps its launch will inspire developers to find the next big thing for Cyanogen, which might further help differentiate it from Google’s Android.
Making it easier for developers to access key features of Android and create new experiences will certainly help with that.
