Windows Phone 8.1 not getting rid of Back button: Report

It looks like Microsoft isn't going to get rid of the Back button on the Windows Phone platform, as previously reported about the latest iteration.
 
After rumours of Microsoft's plans to remove the Back button with the Windows Phone 8.1 update, it's now being reported that this would not be the case and that only the requirement for a hardware Back button is likely to be removed, as per The Verge.
 
The report cites sources familiar with Microsoft's plans that the software maker will replace it with an onscreen Back button if it eventually decides to go ahead with its current plans. It mentions that the Redmond giant is planning to remove hardware requirements for the Back, Start, and Search buttons with an intent to reduce costs for device makers.
 
However, the report does clarify that the buttons would still be part of the software and appear onscreen just like the Android navigation buttons that appear onscreen on stock Android devices like the Nexus. The report says that the virtual keys could appear on a black bar at the bottom of the screen. The move would also ensure that existing apps that involve the use of the Back button continue to work properly after the OS update, notes the report.
 
The online publication claims to have even heard that the change related to the Back button is related to Microsoft's negotiations with HTC to work on dual-OS smartphones that offer the ability to run both Windows Phone and Android. It's obvious that the fixed hardware buttons would prevent device makers to make such phones as the navigation buttons on Android are a bit different.
 
It was previously reported that the Windows Phone 8.1 update would bring large-screen support, common binaries with Windows RT, and the removal of the Back button.