Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) are two separate tech companies that have more reasons to compete against each other than to work together. According to an anonymous source as told to by The Verge, Android apps could attract more users to the Windows Phone. However, this is still just a rumor and nothing has been confirmed yet.
A possible collaboration
Although the current number of applications for Windows Phone is small compared to Android or iOS, it’s still growing. If the phone’s users had an option to download and use Android apps on their current phone, they might be more likely to stay. There are applications such as BlueStacks which let users run Android apps in Windows, trying to copy the entire Android experience on a non-Android device is useless, particularly since Google ties many of their features to Google Mobile Service(GMS). This includes APIs for maps, in-application purchases, and malware scanning. However, without Google Play and their coordinating services, most applications won’t work.
Why Android could help Microsoft
Times of India added, “It would be interesting to see how Microsoft implements Android apps on the platform. BlackBerry’s BlackBerry 10 OS (and PlayBook OS) also supports Android apps but developers need to submit the apps separately to BlackBerry (or users need to sideload apps through third-party tools). Due to this, users don’t get the latest version of Android apps on BlackBerry. The compatibility has not helped BlackBerry 10 grow its market share, so this may not be a sure shot formula for success.”
Perhaps the biggest issue involving Microsoft and Android’s purported collaboration is what it would do to the Windows Phone. People would no longer buy the Windows Phone for Windows, they would buy it for Android. Perhaps if there is any truth to this rumor, it’s based on Nokia’s supposed Android-based smartphone Nokia X.
