One in Five BlackBerry 10 Apps Is Really an Android App
One of BlackBerry's key goals is getting developers to write apps designed to take advantage of its all-new operating system. — But, knowing that not all developers are ready to bet on a native app, the company has offered …
Context & Ripple Effects
BlackBerry 10 entered 2013 with an early burst of 15,000 app submissions and extended app-incentive deadlines to sustain developer interest. But the lack of a native Instagram app had already shown that submission volume did not guarantee participation from every important software brand.
Android compatibility also follows BlackBerry's earlier effort to use Android support to fill out its catalog. With one-fifth of BlackBerry 10 apps originating on Android, the platform can advertise breadth while falling short of CEO Thorsten Heins's stated goal of 100,000 native apps.
First-order effects
- BlackBerry 10 buyers gain access to a larger app selection, but one app in five is not built specifically to use the new operating system's features.
- Developers can reach BlackBerry 10 through an Android port rather than committing resources to a native build, reducing the immediate incentive to develop exclusively for BlackBerry.
Second-order effects
- BlackBerry faces greater pressure to make its app incentives and native-development tools compelling enough that catalog growth is not dominated by ports.
- App availability becomes a weaker differentiator for BlackBerry 10: compatibility can close gaps in quantity, while native-only services such as Instagram remain a test of platform commitment.
Third-order effects
- If compatibility-led growth persists, BlackBerry 10 risks becoming a distribution extension for Android developers rather than a platform with a self-sustaining native software ecosystem.
- The episode points to a broader smartphone-platform divide: smaller operating systems can use compatibility layers to reduce app gaps, but durable differentiation depends on developers building for their distinct capabilities.
The trend: Mobile platforms are using compatibility layers to bootstrap app catalogs, while competing for the native developer investment that creates platform-specific value.