BlackBerry is reportedly planning to ditch its own operating system (OS) for Google’s Android software for its upcoming smartphone.
The Canadian smartphone maker has seen drastic fall in its popularity, holding just a minimal 1% share in the OS market which is led by Android, iOS and Windows.
The new strategy is reportedly an attempt by the company to turn its focus on software and device management to gain back the lost market.
BlackBerry launched its new set of devices and a new OS, BlackBerry 10 in 2013, initially did well but later got overshadowed by Android and Apple based devices.
Reuters cited sources familiar with the matter as saying that the new device featuring Android OS is expected to have some of the patented features in BlackBerry 10.
Previously, the company also opened up its patented security, productivity and communication tools for device running iOS, Android or Windows.
In an attempt to expand its reach in other OS eco-system, BlackBerry also introduced its BlackBerry Messaging app to rival OS and is reportedly planning to launch BlackBerry Hub and the predictive text capabilities to other OS.
It also tried to woo business customers by launching BES12, a device management system that allows customers to manage devices running on BlackBerry, iOS and Android on their internal networks.
The news agency cited BlackBerry as saying: "We don’t comment on rumours and speculation, but we remain committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and productivity benefits that are unmatched."
