Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Is BlackBerry making an Android phone?

By

Blackberry Android Device
Image used with permission by copyright holder
With a miserable share of the smartphone market and a failure to inspire consumers with its latest line of handsets, former mobile powerhouse BlackBerry is gearing up to launch its first ever Android device, Reuters said in a report Thursday.

The move, which some observers might say comes five years too late for the company, could be seen as a final roll of the dice for BlackBerry in its efforts to kickstart sales of its once hugely popular handsets.

Recommended Videos

Unnamed sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters that the Canadian company believes an Android phone, which may arrive in the fall, could ultimately help to boost its BES12 device management business, a key part of its multi-pronged strategy aimed at restoring the company’s fortunes.

Launching an Android phone, the sources said, would demonstrate to businesses that devices other than BlackBerry’s own BB10 handsets are able to work securely and efficiently with BES12.

Sliding keyboard?

A reasonably priced Android touchscreen device with BlackBerry’s iconic physical keyboard could also help to win back a portion of consumers who ditched BlackBerry for Google’s rival OS. Reuters report even goes so far as to suggest that BlackBerry’s first Android device may be the one it briefly showed off at MWC earlier this year that incorporated a sliding keyboard.

In a statement, BlackBerry said it remained committed to its BB10 mobile operating system, suggesting any new Android device would be sold alongside its existing offerings. Not surprisingly, the company is refusing to confirm or deny Reuters’ report that it’s working on an Android device.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen has carried out significant restructuring at the company since joining in 2013. A determined move to focus more on the corporate and enterprise sector – an area in which it was once hugely popular – and decisive efforts to push its device management system led the company to report a surprise profit in its quarterly results posted at the end of March, though yaer-on-year revenue fell.

The trials and tribulations of the company formerly known as Research In Motion have been well documented over the years. Once the leader in the smartphone space, BlackBerry failed to innovate in the face of tough competition from Apple with its iPhone and other handsets running Google’s Android operating system. Combined with a number of strategic blunders and damaging technical issues, the company has seen its global smartphone share plummet to less than one percent. With that in mind, perhaps it’s not such a big surprise that it’s finally looking to launch a smartphone running a mobile OS other than BB10.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Google has a magical new way for you to control your Android phone
Holding the Google Pixel 8 Pro, showing its Home Screen.

You don’t need your hands to control your Android phone anymore. At Google I/O 2024, Google announced Project Gameface for Android, an incredible new accessibility feature that will let users control their devices with head movements and facial gestures.

There are 52 unique facial gestures supported. These include raising your eyebrow, opening your mouth, glancing in a certain direction, looking up, smiling, and more. Each gesture can be mapped to an action like pulling down the notification shade, going back to the previous app, opening the app drawer, or going back to home. Users can customize facial expressions, gesture sizes, cursor speed, and more.

Read more
Android 15 has a clever way to make notifications less annoying
The Lock Screen on the Google Pixel 8 Pro.

This year's Google I/O 2024 was kicked off with one of the rare keynotes where Android did not see most of the limelight. AI -- and more specifically, Gemini -- was the talk of the show, and even the Android section of the keynote was filled with all the intelligent features coming with Android 15. The second beta of Android 15 rolled out just a few hours after the keynote, and it brings many more features that weren't discussed onstage. One of them is "Adaptive Vibration," which seems exclusive to Pixel phones for now.

As the name suggests, Adaptive Vibration is designed to fine-tune the vibration strength of incoming notifications based on the environment or where your phone is located. Android Authority discovered the feature under the Sound & vibrations menu in Android 15 's settings.

Read more
Have one of these OnePlus phones? You can now download Android 15
OnePlus Open in Emerald Dusk open showing inner display flat.

The wait for Android 15 is over for some owners of some OnePlus devices. With Android 15 Beta 2 expected to launch today, OnePlus is rolling out the Android 15 Beta 1 for owners of the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open. Now, keep in mind that this is still a beta, meaning it’s intended for developers and advanced users, and there are still several known issues and bugs.

The update will roll out globally and needs to be manually installed. We highly recommend following the steps OnePlus has laid out in its forum post and backing up the data on your phone since there is a risk of bricking. To upgrade, you’ll need to be running Android 14.0.0.610 and below; versions above it can’t be upgraded without rolling back.

Read more