Cyanogen OS 12 will ship with Boxer as default email app

Boxer will be the default email app for Cyanogen OS devices, starting with the Lollipop-based release 12, due in the following months.

Through its boisterous CEO, Kirt McMaster, Cyanogen has made no secret of its plans to “take away Android from Google.” That’s a monumental task, and one of the biggest challenges is providing users with compelling alternatives to Google’s services, from Gmail, to Maps, and even the Play Store. To do so, Cyanogen is partnering with companies looking to mesh their apps and services into Cyanogen OS, and the latest one is Boxer.

Other features of the Boxer-powered Email include extensive customization options, integrated task management, and integrations with a variety of services right in the inbox, including Evernote, Dropbox, and more.

The new Boxer Email app will reach users of the OnePlus One, Yureka Yu, and Alcatel OneTouch Hero 2+ with the Cyanogen 12 OTA, while new devices shipping with Cyanogen OS will be preloaded with it.

This is just the latest move from Cyanogen, a venture-funded startup that has been very active in the past months. Other apps that are integrated into Cyanogen are Nextbit’s Baton and the SwiftKey keyboard; the startup also announced a partnership with Qualcomm last week, and it’s been privately securing additional investments, including a high-profile one from Microsoft.

To get a taste of the upcoming Email app, check out Boxer in the Play Store (basic version free, $14.99 for all features).

What do you think of Cyanogen’s strategy of gradually adding new services to its OS? Will it fly, long-term?