Rumor | Nokia is slated to ditch stock Android for its own new customized UI

Nokia is one of a very small handful of smartphone OEMs who provide stock Android on their phones. Therefore, its devices are likely to ship without the bloatware (and even the adware, sometimes) around which other companies are often compelled to develop whole new skins. Now, there is a sign the HMD Global brand might be turning towards this practice itself.

The XDA member DaPanda has discovered a new listing for a vacancy as a "User Experience designer" at Nokia on LinkedIn. The role, apparently based in Tampere, Finland and within the OEM's new Services team, might also pertain to UI, and requires that the candidate be capable of crafting elements such as "menus, tabs and widgets", in order to ultimately produce a UX prototype based on the same.

This might indeed prove evidence that Nokia is moving away from its typical stock OS roots and will soon implement its own skin, as do other OEMs such as OnePlus or Samsung. This might be a blow to fans of both the OEM and cost-effective phones.

At present, some current Nokia phones run on Android One, which comes with the certainty of a predetermined update schedule over a set time-frame, whereas others have Android Go, which is light on the resources of more budget smartphones. Either variant of the OS can thus have advantages for low-end devices.

On the other hand, Nokia does have devices with non-Android software, most notably its feature phones. They run on KaiOS, an "alternative" mobile ecosystem that might depend on web apps. Therefore, its needs might also line up with various points of the new job description ("...you will be responsible for delivering the best online and mobile user experience").

Accordingly, those who apply for the role may find they are working on a new and custom form of this OS, to run on devices such as the new 8000 and 6300 4G. Could that be you one day? Be sure to email us at NBC and let us know!

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