Your next Nokia phone may not run stock Android

HMD Global could be looking to differentiate its phones with a custom skin.

What you need to know

• HMD Global may soon start working on its own custom Android skin.
• The company is hiring a "User Experience Designer."
• Nearly all Nokia-branded phones from HMD Global run stock Android UI currently and are part of the Android One program.

HMD Global is among the few smartphone makers that still offers devices that are part of Google's Android One program. According to a new report from XDA Developers, however, that may soon change.

HMD Global is hiring a "User Experience Designer," which suggests the company may be looking to create a custom skin to differentiate its phones from other Android OEMs. Currently, all of the company's phones offer a stock Android UI. Its best Android phones also happen to be part of the Android One program, which guarantees two major OS upgrades and security updates for up to three years.

The job description on LinkedIn doesn't reveal a lot of information, but notes that the UX/UI designer be responsible for "user interface elements like menus, tabs, and widgets." Since the company doesn't explicitly mention anything about a custom skin, there is a possibility of HMD Global looking for a designer to revamp its first-party apps.

Even if HMD Global is indeed planning to create a new UI for its phones, it could still continue to release Android One devices. Some of Motorola's Moto One series phones, which are part of the Android One program, also come with a fair bit of customization on top.

The clean software experience is one of the key selling points of Nokia phones right now, and ditching it in favor of its own skin could potentially be a really bad idea.