Just over a week has passed since Microsoft announced their acquisition of Nokia‘s phones division, and already insiders are suggesting that a Nokia Lumia Android device was not only a possibility, it was real. Two people briefed on the effort have let the New York Times know (anonymously) that Android had been “up and running” on Nokia’s Lumia handsets in the recent past. They’ve made sure to note that these tests were happening “well before” Microsoft and Nokia’s initial negotiations for acquisition.


These same people noted that Microsoft executives were certainly aware that Nokia was testing Android on Lumia devices before and during the negotiations. They also made clear that Android was not a part of discussions between the two companies, even though it was “widely recognized” that it was possible Nokia would be using Android on smartphones in the future. This is important because without this assurance, there’s a possibility Microsoft would seem to be axing Nokia Android efforts before they came to fruition.

It’s not known whether Nokia’s original deal with Microsoft for licensing Windows Phone was hard and fast enough to block the manufacturer from making Android devices, but we do know that it was extensive enough to suggest Nokia would be better off sticking with Windows Phone in bulk.

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