We have heard talk recently about Cyanogen and their future within the android realm. It is no secret that CyanogenOS is very much unlikely to feature on any future OnePlus products, but that does not seem to phase the company at all. Instead, Cyanogen seems confident on not only their future products, but on also taking on one of the android greats, Google. A couple of weeks ago, the news broke that Cyanogen specifically are intent on bringing to market a version of Android which is ‘free of Google‘. In short, the idea is an android which no longer comes preloaded with all the Google offerings, think Gmail, think Play Store, think Maps. Instead, Cyanogen wants to offer an alternative android to the Google-imposed status quo.
This news was quickly followed by the very interesting news that Microsoft were planning on investing in Cyanogen. Now, the headline was much bigger than the reality, as Microsoft were only reported to be a “minor investor” and as such, this was not quite the coalition many would have assumed it would be. That said, one of the factors which was thought to be behind such an investment, was maybe the idea of a Google-free android platform appealed to Microsoft. Well, the latest news is that such a concept is exactly what Cyanogen are pushing forward to prospective investors. According to Re/code (source link below), “people familiar with the discussions” have revealed Cyanogen are hoping to attract backers who want a similar Google-free outcome. However, according to the same sources, it is also this very joint-vision which has scared some backers from investing. In short, they do not want to have to worry about a fall-out or reprisal from Google.
Of course, actual details of these supposed for and against backers were not provided, but as we know Microsoft are supposedly keen on some sort of investment. It has also been rumored that Amazon are in talks with Cyanogen too, which will not come as too much of a surprise as they have never seemed that bothered about the repercussions of taking on Google. It will be interesting to finally see who does eventually back Cyanogen when the Series C round of funding comes to a close. Either way, it is expected the current round of funding will value the company in the $100’s of millions. Although, unlike most other funding rounds, it seems most eyes will be firmly fixed this time on who is investing and not how much they are investing. What do you think? Would you like to see a Google-free android alternative? Let us know.