Sony has begun testing concept Android software that it hopes will help revive its struggling smartphone business. The overhauled interface promises a “fresh take on the Sony user experience,” and it is about to enter tested in Sweden.

Despite falling sales, Sony has vowed to stick by its Xperia smartphones, and “never sell or exit” the smartphones business. Its options at this point, then, are to miraculously turn the business around against increasingly strong competition, or to hold its hand while it goes down in flames.

One of its efforts as it works towards that turnaround is the overhauling of its Android software. XperiaBlog describes it as “a wholesale change on the Xperia UI that we have been used to so far” — rather than just an upgrade to Android M — and a select few in Sweden will get to try it early.

Sony has asked Xperia Z3 owners in Sweden to sign up for a beta, which will take place between July 27 and September 13, 2015.

We don’t know anything about Sony’s new software at this point — and we won’t until the beta begins rolling out to testers later this month. But it all sounds very exciting for Sony fans, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how the software progresses.

What’s interesting about this is that Sony’s existing Android software isn’t actually all that bad. Unlike Samsung or LG, the Japanese company is fairly conservative with its design changes and bloatware, and it already offers a good user experience.

Here’s to hoping the new software doesn’t ruin that.

• SourceXperiaBlog