Facebook, Inc.FB has affirmed that its application programming interfaces (APIs) will no longer be supporting BlackBerry’s BBRY latest operating system, BlackBerry 10.
This move would mean that BlackBerry 10 users will no longer have access to Facebook or its messenger app. However, they can use Amazon’s AMZN App Store to get the Android version of the app. The other option will be to use the mobile friendly version of the Facebook site.
BlackBerry’s devices like Priv, which function on Android operating system, will continue to enjoy Facebook support.
Earlier this year, Facebook’s WhatsApp also declared that it will discontinue support for BlackBerry by the end of 2016. According to WhatsApp, "While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future."
Over the last few years, iPhones and Android devices have been gaining popularity, while the demand for BlackBerry operating system has been fizzling out. Per the latest Gartner report (Feb 2016), BlackBerry had a mere 0.2% share in the smartphone market in fourth-quarter 2015.
In order to offset the weakness in smartphone business, BlackBerry had been increasingly focusing on the software division to drive growth. However, its own operating system seems to have taken a backseat while the weathered smartphone maker concentrated on bringing out more Android devices.
Facebook’s decision seems to be prudent, given the high costs to support an app for such a small market share.
In response to Facebook’s declaration, BlackBerry is launching a Twitter TWTR campaign to change the decision (and save its operating system). A blog post from the company website mentioned, "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."
Apart from BlackBerry, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) social network services provider will be withdrawing support for Nokia S40, Nokia Symbian S60, Android 2.1 and 2.2, and Windows Phone 7.1.
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