Cyanogen Looks To Tech Giants To Fund Non-Google Android Plans

It seems that startup Cyanogen won't just be stopping with Microsoft in building up support for its war against a Google-controlled Android. Rumor is spreading that Cyanogen plans to undergo a Series C funding and has been talking with the big dogs in the industry. One of those unofficially named is Amazon, who has its own custom Android flavor, which adds a bit more spice to the quest to break Google's monopoly over the largest mobile operating system, and sparking discussion on what an Android without Google would be like.

Perhaps no one has any problems with Google developing Android, even if it happens behind closed doors. Google regularly makes an open source dump of the code into the Android Open Source Project or AOSP. The problem is that the final version of Android that users experience isn't what is in AOSP. The version that they get, either directly from Google in Nexus devices or via OEMs is intimately tied to Google's proprietary apps and services. And in some cases, Google has even deprecated AOSP version of apps in favor of its own apps.

Cyanogen has been making the CyanogenMod ROM for a long time now and doesn't include those proprietary bits. For one, they cannot legally ship it. For another, being closed source, they really have no influence on the development of the apps and cannot even be certain about their privacy features, or lack of it. Now Cyanogen is moving to completely rid itself of dependency on Google and offer the world a radically different Android experience.

That, however, will take a lot of resources: time, manpower, and of course, money. For the latter, Cyanogen seems to be looking to Google's rivals for help. Microsoft was already rumored to have injected a considerable amount into Cyanogen's war chest. Now Amazon might be in on it, too. It might be interesting to point out that both companies have dabbled with Android. They both took code from AOSP and added their own flavors on it, Nokia X for Microsoft and Fire OS for Amazon. It should perhaps also be noted that both are not open source either.

This brings up the question of what the final product will look like. Replacing Google apps isn't exactly difficult, thanks to how the platform was designed. But replacing the services behind it, collectively known as Google Mobile Services or GMS, is no easy task. The growing number of apps that make use of Google's convenience functionality ensures that those will not easily run on a totally Google-free Android. And some might look at this funding rumors as akin to making a deal with the devil, as partnerships with companies may require Cyanogen to preload some of their services or apps in exchange.

VIA: Re/code