Microsoft are so keen on their upcoming Windows 10 Mobile operating system they are even trying to get android users to switch, Microsoft have recently disclosed that its trailing a version of Windows 10 that can be installed on Android devices.
The trial currently only being run with a select group of Xiaomi Mi 4 owners. Microsoft has created a custom ROM designed to completely replace the Android operating system, much like CyanogenMod. However where CyanogenMod is still heavily based on stock Android, Microsoft’s ROM will be based on Windows 10. It’s sort of like an official way to root your Android phone and install a new OS.
After installing the Windows 10 ROM on the Xiaomi Mi 4, users should find no trace of Android. Instead, an operating system that looks and behaves like Windows 10, complete with all of Microsoft’s apps and services will be waiting for them.
By creating a custom ROM for Android devices, Microsoft could easily port its new operating system to a wide range of existing smartphones and tablets, rather than waiting for phone manufacturers to make their own Windows Phones – which doesn’t happen very often.
By offering the Windows 10 ROM to owners of the Xiaomi Mi 4, Microsoft can gauge how Android owners take to Windows 10. As Microsoft explained in a statement, “Xiaomi Mi4 users will get the ability to flash their phones with the new Windows 10 OS and provide feedback to Xiaomi and Microsoft on their experience.”
Gauging how Android users react to Windows 10 will give Microsoft a good idea of the challenges it will face when trying to convince people to make the switch.
Who knows maybe iPhones will be next, I’m sure apples legal team will have something to say about that though…