Chief executive Kirk McMaster turned down Recode's request for a comment, so we wouldn't expect either confirmation or immediate answers as to what's coming next.

A change in direction wouldn't be completely shocking. Although CyanogenMod is still a staple of the Android enthusiast world, Cyanogen OS hasn't had many customers. You probably know Cyanogen's ill-fated partnership on the OnePlus One, and the rest of its deals haven't exactly set the world on fire -- a one-off Lenovo phone and the cheap-but-cheerful Wileyfox Swift are among the examples. Simply put, many device makers are content with either creating their own Android variants or going with stock software. There may not be a large market for licensing a custom Android release from someone else.