Facebook U-turn sees it return to BlackBerry

Facebook U-turn sees it return to BlackBerry

Facebook has handed ailing BlackBerry a major fillip, by announcing that it's performing a u-turn on the decision to not support the BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS platforms

BlackBerry's had a seriously tough few years, and it got significantly worse when Facebook and WhatsApp announced it would stop supporting the firm's BlackBerry 10 and BB OS platforms.

Writing on its blog, BlackBerry confirms that Facebook will continue to be available on its home-grown operating systems, but warns "the experience will be slightly different."

How so? Well the native Facebook app is still dead - seems there's no going back there - but BlackBerry has worked closely with the social network to update the web-app for both BlackBerry 10 and the aging BB OS.

New experience, new features

The update has landed just ahead of the native app's death date of March 31. There are some positive additions to the new web-based offering though, with a variety of features not available on the native application now showing.

This includes the ability to reply to comments, a fix to a news feed bug, and all the desktop Facebook features should now be available at your fingertips.

You'll need to update your handset's software to transition to the new web-based experience, and you can do that by using the following links: BlackBerry 10 | BB OS

For those hoping that Facebook-owned Whatsapp support will follow, don't hold your breath as there's no news just yet.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.