14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently scored a big win by convincing Cyanogen to pre-install some of its apps on its own Android OS version, but many rushed to believe that both Cyanogen OS and CyanogenMod would be involved in the agreement.
Obviously, that is not the case and the deal between the two companies only concerns Cyanogen OS, so the community-based CyanogenMod would continue to be app-free as far as Microsoft is concerned.
Cyanogen OS vs. CyanogenMod
For starters, Cyanogen OS is the official Android version developed by Cyanogen, which isn’t offered directly to users, but to manufacturers who want to install it on their phones. For instance, OnePlus One is currently one of the most popular devices that ship with Cyanogen OS pre-installed.
On the other hand, CyanogenMod, which is based on a huge community, is a custom version of Cyanogen and comes with no pre-installed apps. That’s unlikely to change in the future, the project’s leaders said in a post today.
“Your nightlies will not see a sudden influx of Microsoft applications – you can put the pitchforks down,” their post reads. “CyanogenMod has historically stayed neutral on your services of choice, whether you use Google, Amazon or Fdroid; we leave that decision to you and we have no intention of changing that.”
There’s no doubt that, by signing such deals with companies whose work relies entirely on Android, Microsoft increases its presence in the mobile industry, a climate that has until now been barely explored by the Redmond-based tech giant.
These deals, which in most cases bring Microsoft’s apps pre-installed on a number of phones running Android, are supposed to convince users to switch to Windows Phone, where they can find the same apps but with a fully OS-integrated experience.
Microsoft has a similar deal with Samsung to pre-install apps such as Skype, OneNote, and OneDrive on the newly launched Galaxy S6, and right now the company is most likely seeking more such deals with Android phone manufacturers around the world.