Jolla, the company behind the open source Sailfish OS, has announced that its users will be able to download Android apps and use Sailfish on Android handsets.

The Linux-based OS, which is yet to launch, is being billed as a quick and easy dev platform for creating and customising software using standardised code. The company is also pushing its Other Half tech, an intechangeable NFC-enabled back plate that can add photos, ringtones or other pre-loaded content onto the handset. The integration with Android should give the company a critical mass of well-known apps to go to market with, although it is developing its own.

Jolla came out of the Nokia Meego open source project, with former execs from the now-Microsoft-owned company going on to create Sailfish. Mozilla has already launched its own open source OS and handset, while Tizen, another Linux-based project, is also on the way with backing from Samsung.

Jolla is also taking a second round of pre-orders for its Sailfish handset.