14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re a fan of custom Android, you probably know that Cyanogen had a partnership running with Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus for their first handset.
But recently Cyanogen signed an exclusive deal with Indian mobile device manufacturer Micromax, which already launched the Yureka smartphone.
This partnership left OnePlus out in the cold and forced the company to start building a custom ROM of its own.
Having a phone running Cyanogen on top implies that users get more control over settings plus some extra features, compared to devices running stock Android like the Nexus lineup. Even so, everything onboard still revolves to Google’s own host of apps and settings.
Cyanogen criticizes Google for not being fair with developers
However, Cyanogen has big plans for the future. The custom ROM maker is planning to push things as far as breaking the bond with almighty Google.
Speaking with The Information at a symposium in San Francisco, Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster talked about the company’s vision of separating Android from Google.
What that means exactly is that future versions of Cyanogen’s custom Android will allow developers to integrate their own apps and services directly into the operating system.
Let’s get one thing straight, Google allows developers to create third-party apps, no problems there, but its own host is given preferential treatment while the other apps just receive the “guest” status.
For example, services like Google Now or Google Search are deeply embedded into the OS and can interact with other apps naturally, as well as with the OS.
If other manufacturers want to achieve this feat, they have no choice but to fork Android. Think of what Amazon has done with its Fire tablets and Fire Phone to get an idea.
Some manufacturers have sacrificed Google services in order to get their own way
But approaching the problem in this matter implies that Google’s policies will get violated and subsequently Google’s services (Google Play store included) won’t get loaded on the device. That’s why you only get access to the Amazon App Store on a Fire tablet.
But Cyanogen hopes to move things along and open up Android, giving developers the rein. So, with this in mind, the custom ROM maker is planning to launch its own app store.
Pushing the creator of Android out of the spotlight is a pretty great ambition and it remains to be seen if Cyanogen manages to achieve this. We guess that time will tell, but we don't expect Google to just sit back and watch this happen without having a word or two to say.
