BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10 is a deprecated proprietary mobile operating system for the BlackBerry line of smartphones, developed by BlackBerry Limited. Released in January 2013, BlackBerry 10 is a complete rework from the company's previous BlackBerry OS software.
It is based on QNX, a Unix-like operating system that was originally developed by QNX Software Systems until the company was acquired by Research In Motion in 2010. BlackBerry 10 supports the application framework Qt and in some later models features an Android runtime to run Android applications. Prior to version 10.3.1, BlackBerry 10 also supported the Adobe AIR runtime. The user interface uses a combination of gestures and touch-based interactions for navigation and control, making it possible to control a device without having to press any physical buttons, with the exception of the power button that switches the device on or off. It also supports hardware keyboards, including ones that support touch input.
BlackBerry began to deprecate BlackBerry 10 in 2015, announcing a pivot towards Android devices with the BlackBerry Priv, and gradually discontinuing BB10 devices and software. The OS was officially declared end-of-life on January 4, 2022.
History
The operating system was originally called BBX, but this was changed when BlackBerry was blocked from using the BBX trademark after legal action from BASIS International, who already used it for their software.On November 12, 2012, CEO Thorsten Heins announced a 30 January 2013, launch of the BlackBerry 10 operating system version 10.0 and the first smartphones running it. The operating system, as well as two devices, the Z10, and the Q10, were announced simultaneously around the world on January 30, 2013. The company also announced that the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet would receive an update to BlackBerry 10 later in 2013. Subsequently, BlackBerry stated when releasing their Q1 2014 financial results that the BlackBerry PlayBook would not be receiving an update to BlackBerry 10, citing that the hardware would not provide a good experience of BlackBerry 10 and were focusing on future devices. BlackBerry continued to support and develop the PlayBook with its separate Tablet OS.
On 12 May 2013 BlackBerry OS 10.1 was launched. This brought improvements to many features requested by users.
On 13 September 2013, in Asia, BlackBerry announced the launch of BlackBerry OS 10.2 and a new BlackBerry 10 device, the Z30, providing performance increases over the previous BlackBerry 10 devices.
On October 26, 2015, BlackBerry Limited announced that there were no plans to release new APIs and software development kits or adopt Qt version 5. Future updates, like versions 10.3.3 and 10.3.4, would focus on security and privacy enhancements only. At the same time, the company introduced its first Android-based device, BlackBerry Priv. The BlackBerry Leap was the last smartphone released on the BB10 platform. After BlackBerry Limited ceased making smartphones in 2016, its successor BlackBerry Mobile by licensee TCL abandoned the platform and only developed devices based on Android, starting with the BlackBerry KeyOne.
On December 15, 2017, BlackBerry CEO John S. Chen announced that there would be at least another two years of support for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS devices; in August 2019, however, BlackBerry stated in a press release that they would continue to support "critical infrastructure" for BlackBerry 10 beyond the end of the year. BlackBerry 10 became end-of-life effective January 4, 2022.
Features
Controls
The touchscreen is the predominant input method of BlackBerry 10, in addition to hardware keyboard for devices that have one. Users can use gestures and keyboard shortcuts to navigate around the system. For instance, a user can unlock the device or return to the home screen by swiping from the bottom to the top. Some gestures offer additional modes of interaction when they are used differently. For instance, the same gesture can be used to show unread notifications when the user swipes from the bottom edge to somewhat the middle and slightly to the right and also keep the finger on the touchscreen. Similarly, when the finger is moved from the bottom to the right in a curved motion, the user can enter BlackBerry Hub immediately. Devices with a hardware keyboard can use keyboard shortcuts to reach applications or perform specific functions more quickly.Multitasking
When a user returns to the home screen from within an application, the application is minimized into a so-called "Active Frame". An Active Frame is a miniaturized window of the application that keeps running in the background. A user can return to such an application by tapping on the Active Frame or close it by tapping on the X icon. Active Frames can have widget-like functionality and show small bits of information, similar to widgets on Android. For instance, the calendar application can show upcoming events and meetings. BlackBerry 10 limits the number of active applications and it varies per device.BlackBerry Hub
BlackBerry 10 collates emails, SMS/MMS, calls and notifications into the BlackBerry Hub. It shows all messages and notifications in a continuous list, sorted by date. The user can filter results by application or, in the case of email, also by inbox. The user can create, view or act upon messages or notifications directly from the Hub. For instance, when the user opens a Facebook message, the Hub will open a small part of the Facebook application and allow the user to perform the same actions as the Facebook application itself. Applications need to support the Hub specifically to use most of these features, which is only possible for applications written with the native SDK. Notifications from unsupported applications are collated in the generic notifications tab.Miscellaneous
Other notable features of BlackBerry 10 include:- A virtual keyboard with support for predictive typing and several gestures.
- Voice control and BlackBerry Assistant, a virtual assistant, with which the user can perform various tasks by voice input or typed queries.
- BlackBerry Balance, with which the user can separate personal from work data, if enabled by the device's enterprise server. The user can switch between two workspaces, each with their own applications, files and accounts.
- BlackBerry Link, with which the user can synchronize data between the device and a computer, update the device or make backups. It supports iTunes and Windows Media Player.
Applications
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BlackBerry 10 has a number of applications that help users perform various tasks and activities. These include a web browser, as well applications for notes, reminders, calculator, clock, music, media, weather and file management. Cloud services like Box and Dropbox are also integrated by default. In addition, BlackBerry's messaging service BlackBerry Messenger is included, which supports video chat, VoIP and screen sharing.Third-party applications
BlackBerry 10 can run applications that were written with its native SDK, Android applications compiled for API levels 10–18 and applications written for Adobe AIR. Apps could be downloaded via the BlackBerry World app store, or sideloaded. Beginning on version 10.2.1, Android apps can be sideloaded directly from APK files. In June 2014, BlackBerry announced a partnership with Amazon to bundle its Amazon Appstore with the BlackBerry 10.3 update, adding an additional source of Android apps.At release in January 2013, BlackBerry 10 had 70,000 third-party applications. At the 2013 BlackBerry Live conference, BlackBerry announced that they had more than 120,000 applications.
Some developers have offered applications to access the Google Play Store, although this is not sanctioned by BlackBerry or Google. Applications that depend on the Google Play Services framework may not run. Similarly, Android applications that require a newer API level than 18 cannot run on BlackBerry 10.
Devices
BlackBerry Limited released ten devices running BlackBerry 10, including devices with a slate form factor, and devices similar to the BlackBerry Bold line with smaller screens and physical keyboards.| Device | Characteristics | Release date | Minimum OS |
| Z10 | 4.2" Touchscreen | January 2013 | 10.0 |
| Q10 | 3.1" Touchscreen and hardware keyboard | January 2013 | 10.0 |
| Q5 | 3.1" Touchscreen and hardware keyboard | May 2013 | 10.1 |
| Z30 | 5" Touchscreen | October 2013 | 10.2 |
| P'9982 | 4.2" Touchscreen | December 2013 | 10.2 |
| Z3 | 5" Touchscreen | February 2014 | 10.2.1 |
| P'9983 | 4.5" Touchscreen and hardware keyboard | September 2014 | 10.3.0 |
| Passport | 4.5" Touchscreen and hardware keyboard | October 2014 | 10.3.0 |
| Classic | 3.5" Touchscreen, hardware keyboard and dedicated buttons | December 2014 | 10.3.1 |
| Leap | 5" Touchscreen | April 2015 | 10.3.1 |
Canceled devices
- BlackBerry Colt, originally planned as the first QNX-powered BlackBerry smartphone
- BlackBerry Café, a 4.5" all-touch model intended for emerging markets, possibly a successor to the BlackBerry Z3.
- BlackBerry Kopi, a 3.1" QWERTY model intended for emerging markets. "Kopi" is Indonesian for coffee, implying that the device may be primarily targeted for the Indonesian market.
Developer activities