BlackBerry responded to CrackBerry, saying the report was false and that, "There is no planned support for Google Play on BlackBerry. BlackBerry World remains the primary source for trusted and curated BlackBerry applications and we continue to support open standards and open source tools so BlackBerry developers can continue to create great apps on any of the development platforms we support."
Earlier, a report painted a scenario where BlackBerry was revealed to be in talks with Google to bring the Play Store to BlackBerry 10 devices. Few screenshots of the Play Store running on a BlackBerry Z10 also surfaced on the Internet, however later it was revealed that the images were fake.
With BlackBerry 10.2, BlackBerry updated the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and Plug-in to be able to run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean apps, enabling almost all modern Android apps to work on BlackBerry 10.
Blackberry's new devices, the BlackBerry Z10, Q10, Q5 and Z30 based on the BlackBerry 10 OS have not been embraced by users at the level that it expected, resulting in the company suffering financial losses and taking an inventory write down due to unsold devices. However, access to the Play Store could have infused a new lease of life into the platform.
Earlier this week, a report suggested that Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd, were interested in acquiring parts of BlackBerry. However, the BlackBerry's board rejected proposals from these for various BlackBerry assets on grounds that a break-up did not serve the interest of all stakeholders.
BlackBerry has said that it's moving its focus from devices to services and software targeted at the government and enterprise segments. However, it will continue to operate its handset business.
BlackBerry's interim CEO, John Chen confirmed the news and said that the company has no plans to shut down the loss-making handset business.
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