BlackBerry removes Facebook from BB10

by Volker Weber

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The exodus from BlackBerry 10 continues. Recently WhatsApp announced it would be removing BlackBerry support by the end of the year. Now the BlackBerry app store replaces the Facebook app with a weblink and removes Hub integration from BB10.

Comments

BlackBerry 10 is a fantastic, stable and secure OS with excellent functionality, but the day BlackBerry announced the Priv it was obvious that it was on it's last legs.

David Guillaume, 2016-03-16

BB is dipping into a *very* tempting niche with the priv. Android with security, trust and updates. in a very nice package. I am keeping that in the back of my head.

Hubert Stettner, 2016-03-16

I think this is a bad decision, because BB10 is a great OS and is "just right" for a good number of people.

As the Facebook app is concerned, it had already been pretty unusable for quite a while before:
- no support for FB groups
- no support for threaded replies (i.e. there was no way to read thread replies at all)
- unreadable small font with no way to change this

A number of people started using the Android app which runs pretty well if you get the version right (more for the technically gifted).

Since a couple of weeks ago now there is also a native alternative which is really promising: Face10 and FB Messenger. They're both not complete yet but already fix more issues than what's left open. According to the developer some features present in the stock BB app cannot be implemented using FB's public APIs (e.g. group conversations) which really is a shame, and now, as there will no longer be a stock native app, I'd find it more than appropriate if Facebook made the necessary APIs available for third-party developers.

Martin Dietze, 2016-03-16

With this move BlackBerry 10 just got even better.

"We are Facebook-free! And proud of it. - Your BB team!"

I can't say I believe in BB10 but I believe in the fantastic hardware and the vision of BB's crew in terms of knowing how and what (hardcore)users need for communication reasons.

I manage about 20+ mail accounts on my BB Passport, use Blend as a replacement for Outlook/Thunderbird/whatever-email-client. I manage hundreds of mails each day and I'm always in sync. Everywhere! Much better than anyone on iOS, Android or Windows Mobile.

2 day business trips one battery-charge. I don't have to worry about this at all. My Passport is more solid and reliable than my iPhone 5S, 6 or 6S. They rest in peace somewhere in my office. Ok, I crushed 2 Passports already but those were accidents and not BlackBerrys fault.

BlackBerry should ask Lenovo for there claim: For those who do!

Sidenote: Lenovo did a great job on the X1 Carbon 2015 as well but no-one is talking about Lenovo because everybody is looking at those 399-599 EUR devices they find at M****Markt.

You have work to be done? You need reliable hardware? Choose BlackBerry (10) and Lenovo. Period.

Jan Thiessen, 2016-03-16

One person with more than 20 email accounts? Well, I see an elephant in the room.

Volker Weber, 2016-03-16

Well... it's not an elephant in the room, it's a herd of elephants in the room.

Those 20+ accounts contain just 1 personal account (Outlook.com) which is easy to handle as I love to keep those things minimal.

To be polite.... the rest of those accounts are a result of mismanagement in the public sector I work in. Those accounts are "Auffangbecken" I have to manage as staff went or was gone due to "let's save money in HR" decisions in the last years. Despite the fact it's far from being ideal my Passport still handles this amount of accounts and mails without any sign of exhaustion.

Jan Thiessen, 2016-03-16

The Passport is a wonderful machine. Which not nearly enough people are buying. This ship has sailed.

Volker Weber, 2016-03-16

I removed FB from my BB10 device three years ago. And LinkedIn.

Bernhard Kockoth, 2016-03-17

Interesting comments here. Anyone here with a pure user view on that topic? Any idea what will happen with the corporate users who still today have the only choice BB in their work environment?

I know. If they want to play, they should buy a private iPhone.

Alexander Kluge, 2016-03-17

I love my Passport and if I need to use a web-based interface for Facebook so be it. The BB10 version never worked correctly anyway. Facebook is not a mission critical app for me.

Richard Moy, 2016-03-18

I think it sends a clear message. BlackBerry does not care anymore for any private use of their phones. Adding Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook was a move for pushing the Z10 into the mainstream. It failed.

Today you find BlackBerry 10 devices mostly in COBO (company owned, business only) environments. For those few in COPE (company owned, personally enabled) environments, you are now seriously out of luck.

Volker Weber, 2016-03-18

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