Microsoft may be planning to integrate Android into Windows 10 mobile, using the same binary support BlackBerry offers on BB10 for Android apps to be compatible and readily available.

This would allow Microsoft access to the largest app store in the world, spanning across hundreds of countries with over one million applications. Android is built on open source, meaning Google cannot remove access from third-parties, although we doubt Google enjoys having competitor platforms using its own apps.

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It is not a win-win for Microsoft however, as soon as it accepts Android apps onto Windows 10 it loses a lot of developer credibility. Why create a native app for Windows 10, when Microsoft will port a pre-existing Android apps onto the platform?

That is the question Microsoft needs to answer before stepping into the minefield of adding Android apps. BlackBerry tried, but ultimately even with the surplus of Android apps, customers were not interested.

On top of losing credibility with developers, users on the platform may run into bugs that Microsoft cannot fix. Google takes longer than normal when it comes to feedback requests outside its first party platform, meaning if a bug were to occur making some Windows 10 Android apps inoperable, those would stay inoperable for a good few months.

That said, Microsoft might be pulling at straws. It has less than five percent of the global market share on mobile, with its largest markets in Italy and the UK starting to dwindle. No mainstream provider has actively supported Windows Phone 8 with more than two phones in a year, meaning Nokia has been the primary manufacturer since 2013.

Windows 10 could be the revitalization of its mobile platform, considering Microsoft is pushing universal apps capable of working across multiple devices. That should make Windows 10 mobile considerably more attractive to developers, who can create an app that might reach more than one billion customers.

If Microsoft doesn't go with Android, it may need to start offering better opportunities to manufacturers, especially in places like India and China where the smartphone market is on fire right now. Interesting local manufacturers to Windows 10 could boost the numbers in the region, but it will all depend on Microsoft's investment in the mobile platform.