Having a modular design is something hardware initiatives are starting to pick up, and now Cyanogen is taking the same route with software.

In a public blog post entitled, “The Future of Cyanogen — and the Untapped Power of Mobile,” the company outlines how some big changes are in the works. Namely, the company is effectively abandoning its plans to be a major entity in the mobile operating system war, aiming for that third spot, and is instead moving to focus on a “modular strategy.” It’s called the Cyanogen Modular OS Program, and it’s meant as a software customization option for other companies that will allow them to launch “intelligent, customizable Android smartphones using different parts of the Cyanogen OS via dynamic modules and MODs, with the ROM of their choice, whether stock Android or their own variant.”

Cyanogen has tapped into the modular idea in the past, with the MOD program, that allowed manufacturers to access previously locked-off areas of the Android operating system to branch it off into their own mobile OS. That’s why Microsoft was able to allow its digital personal assistant, Cortana, the ability to take selfies with just a voice command — on Android.

“Android has become extremely fragmented causing serious security vulnerabilities and few or no incentives to device manufacturers to deliver software upgrades and/or security patches. Increased demand for lower-priced smartphones, coupled with the specifications arms race, has left manufacturers focused on scale and efficiency while compromising investment in software and services. Innovation cannot happen in a vacuum, which is what we have today.”

Now, moving forward, manufacturers will be able to use previously locked-away elements of the Cyanogen OS to create their own efforts. This means that companies can use the stock Android environment, and then pull full-featured elements from the Cyanogen OS to add to that mix as they see fit.