14 DAY TRIAL // A year ago, Chinese device maker OnePlus launched the first smartphone to come with Cyanogen OS pre-installed, in an attempt to offer users more customization options than they would normally have access to in Android.
However, the relationship between the two companies quickly became quite strained. All culminated when Cyanogen announced it was signing an exclusive deal with Indian device maker Micromax in the country, which basically left OnePlus out in the cold.
Things escalated to a point where a court in New Delhi imposed a temporary ban on selling OnePlus One products in the country.
OnePlus was forced to regroup and take up developing its own custom ROM. The Chinese company wasted no time and assembled a team made up of mostly ex-Paranoid Android members and put it to work on developing what’s currently known as OxygenOS.
Cyanogen divorces OnePlus for good
Anyway, if until now the fate of the marriage between Cyanogen and OnePlus was hanging by a thread, this week we get the confirmation that the two companies have forever parted ways.
Speaking at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, Cyanogen’s Kirt McMaster and Steve Kondik have confirmed what was anticipated for quite some time now, the partnership between the two is no more (as seen at Android Authority).
They also add that they are currently looking to establish partnerships with other, bigger hardware vendors from China and beyond.
McMaster doesn't particularly like how things turned out in the end, especially since he feels most of OnePlus’ reputation was achieved on Cyanogen’s back.
“Without Cyanogen, OnePlus would have sold like one device in the international market,” he claimed.
But Cyanogen is not wasting too much time mourning what could have been. As we mentioned above, the company is already scouting for new allies. OnePlus managed to achieve a decent level of popularity with its One smartphone, so imagine what would happen if Cyanogen partners up with bigger names in the industry like Xiaomi or maybe even Lenovo.
Even with the partnership between the two dissolving, Cyanogen will continue to support devices that run its operating system, meaning that OnePlus One owners should be covered.
On top of that, the launch of the OnePlus Two handset seems to be pretty imminent and we expect to see the device arrive with the phone maker’s brand new OxygenOS on board. Will OnePlus manage to survive the breakup and make it on its own?