Cyanogen today announced a new partnership with Microsoft that will see the software giant’s apps and services baked into future Cyanogen OS releases. The deal is thought to be similar to that Microsoft recently agreed with Samsung.

Like the latest version of TouchWiz, which made its debut on the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, Cyanogen OS will come with apps like Bing, Office, Outlook, OneNote, and Skype pre-installed. Cyanogen OS will also use Microsoft service like OneDrive.

According to Cyanogen’s announcement, the two companies will “create native integrations” in Cyanogen OS, which suggests Microsoft service will actually become part of the operating system, rather than add-ons that can easily be removed.

“People around the world use Cyanogen’s operating system and popular Microsoft services to engage with what matters most to them on their mobile devices,” said Kirt McMaster, Cyanogen CEO.

“This exciting partnership with Microsoft will enable us to bring new kinds of integrated services to mobile users in markets around the world.”

The announcement comes three months after McMaster confirmed Cyanogen’s desire to “take Android away from Google,” and create a platform that is no longer reliant on Google apps and services.

Personally, I’d much prefer a platform that’s reliant on Google services to one that’s reliant on Microsoft’s — and I’m sure lots of other Android users will agree. But I’m a big fan of Cyanogen, so I’m excited to see how this plays out.

• SourceCyanogen