Windows 10 to More Android Phones

The Redmond-based tech firm added in a statement that it would be helping select group of Xiaomi Mi 4 users "flash their phones with the new Windows 10 OS" on their handsets and let them "contribute to its future release later this year." These select "power users" will be using Windows 10 on their Mi 4 handsets and giving relevant feedback. The details of the programme are not yet known, but with Microsoft's use of the word flash, the company will probably be offering a ROM, similar to custom ROMs like CyanogenMod, to install on the Android smartphone.

Microsoft's delivery of Windows 10 ROM for Mi 4 users, however, is said to be with a software that helps "convert" an Android phone into a Windows 10 phone, complete with access to all Microsoft services, according to sources close to the matter cited by Techcrunch. The experience will be similar to how Cyanogen users operate and Microsoft is not looking at a dual-boot option, the report adds. Interestingly, the report goes on to say that Microsoft will soon be rolling this out to other devices.

It seems Microsoft sees this as a good way to attract Android users to Windows 10, without them needing to invest in new hardware. As the report notes, China is an ideal market for testing such an initiative, given the region's relative lack of lock-in to Google services and a general affinity towards custom ROMs.