You may have noticed that Samsung rarely said the word “Android” on Thursday while unveiling its new Android-based Galaxy S 4 flagship phone. And according to ABI Research analyst Aapo Markkanen, there’s a very good reason for that: Samsung is trying to distance itself from Android as much as possible in preparation for a “Great OS Escape” that will reduce its dependence on the platform over the next two years. Markkanen’s thesis is that Samsung wants more control over its own destiny going forward and doesn’t want to be solely tied down to another company’s mobile operating system. So its goal with the Galaxy S 4 is to build as many of its own features as possible onto the device to begin weaning its customers away from Google services. The trick, however, is finding an acceptable alternative to Android.

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