Facebook is cutting off BlackBerry support
It looks like BlackBerry may have a tough time getting Facebook to stay onboard, as they have cut support for BlackBerry’s OS 10 platform. In a blog post, BlackBerry wrote:
We are extremely disappointed in their decision as we know so many users love these apps. We fought back to work with WhatsApp and Facebook to change their minds, but at this time, their decision stands (but let them know how you feel on social media, using the hashtag #ILoveBB10Apps). Despite this, we have worked hard to ensure our end users have the best experience in light of this decision, and are continuing to search for alternate solutions.
So if you want to petition against the move update your statuses using that hashtag and join their developer network to create alternative application software.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp had announced in February that they would no longer provide support for BlackBerry, including BlackBerry 10, stating that it could not ‘offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future’.
As much as you may see a lot of BlackBerries being used, the global situation is that their mobile business is suffering low sales. BlackBerry even had to release an Android-powered Priv smartphone to try to appeal to that market but even it hasn’t made too many waves in Zambia to be specific.
These low sales mean major companies that are creating software seem to be finding it a waste of time and resources to make a dwindling market a priority, and will ultimately focus on what’s doing better, those being Android, iOS and Windows.
You might want to move…
The Priv was a very expensive phone. They have since released the slab DTEK 50, which costs US$299.00 on the BlackBerry US store. They also have the more premium DTEK 60 costing US$499.00, but it has great specs. You can find it here. The decision came late to go Android, but it might help a bit. As you might know, BlackBerry has been transformed into a software company, with interests in vehicle entertainment systems software, shiping tracking solutioins, Internet of Things and of course, the handset business, though they will not be building handsets inhouse. That will be outsourced, while the provide the mobile OS, either BlackBerry 10 OS or the BlackBerry spin on Android.