Cyanogen has formed a strategic partnership with Microsoft

Microosft may not have invested in Cyanogen like many were suggesting it would, but that doesn’t mean the company isn’t interested in the startup that has promised to take Android away from Google. The two companies have formed a strategic partnership that will see many of Android’s stock Google apps replaced by Microsoft alternatives, an essential part to taking Android away from Google. 

Cyanogen, a company who builds custom versions of Android, has announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to integrate the Redmond based company’s software into the OS. Starting later this year, Cyanogen will start shipping with Bing services, Skype, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, and Microsoft Office built into the OS. If you are not familiar with Cyanogen, they are wildly popular in the custom ROM community and have raised a significant amount of money recently, roughly $70 million. The company has previously said their goal is to “diminish Google’s control over Android” and this step is a big jump to achieve that goal. For Microsoft, the win here is obvious, they get their software pre-loaded into Google’s OS and of course, Cyanogen is likely receiving some revenue from the company to do so. Under the agreement, Microsoft will create native integration in Cyanogen for its software so that the services feel like a natural experience when using the OS.