OnePlus Releases Its First Non-Cyanogen Software: An Alpha Lollipop Build For The One
The situation between allegedly independent manufacturer OnePlus and its former software supplier Cyanogen Inc. is... strained. After the software company signed an exclusive deal with Indian manufacturer Micromax …
Context & Ripple Effects
OnePlus built its brand on Cyanogen's software, so when Cyanogen Inc. signed an exclusive deal with Indian manufacturer Micromax, the arrangement put OnePlus's flagship device on uncertain legal footing — particularly in the Indian market where the two later clashed over update rights. This alpha Lollipop build is the first fruit of OnePlus deciding it can no longer depend on an outside supplier whose incentives now point at a rival.
The move sets up the arc that follows in the coverage: OnePlus shipping its own Lollipop ROM as OxygenOS, Cyanogen continuing to serve the One for a while before formally ending the partnership and pivoting toward bigger Chinese vendors.
First-order effects
- OnePlus One owners get a path to Android Lollipop immediately rather than waiting on Cyanogen's schedule — the alpha build makes OnePlus, not Cyanogen Inc., the software authority for its own hardware.
- Cyanogen loses exclusivity leverage over its highest-profile Western customer, while its Micromax commitment means the same Lollipop work flows to Micromax's devices instead.
Second-order effects
- Micromax's Yu Yureka lands on the winning side of the split, receiving Cyanogen builds in parallel with the OnePlus One — turning India into the proving ground for whether Cyanogen can scale beyond OnePlus.
- With its software supply now contested, OnePlus must staff and maintain a full ROM program in-house, converting a marketing partnership into a recurring engineering cost that only pays off if the community adopts it.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, the 'custom Android skin as a service' model gives way to vertically integrated software stacks, with handset makers treating their OS layer as proprietary moat rather than outsourced commodity.
- For Cyanogen, the exit from OnePlus presages consolidation around larger OEM partners — a bet that fewer, bigger contracts can replace broad enthusiast distribution.
The trend: Smartphone makers that outsource their OS layer are pulling software development in-house once their supplier sells exclusivity to someone else.