BlackBerry plans to shut down the music and video sections on its BlackBerry World app store as soon as next month, on July 21, the company announced.
The Canadian smartphone maker has just teamed up with Amazon to add 240,000 Android apps to its BlackBerry 10.3 platform. Along with this announcement, BlackBerry also mentioned that it has decided to shut down the music and video sections on its app store, so what does that ultimately mean for users?
"In addition to the greater selection of apps, you will be able to access video and music services through a number of popular third party services available through the Amazon Appstore and BlackBerry World," the company announced in a blog post.
"While BlackBerry World will continue to offer music and video services via third party applications - again giving you more choices for your valued content - we will be closing the music and video sections of our store on July 21st."
BlackBerry further added that any previously downloaded content will continue to be available even after July 21 through MyWorld, the user's account within BlackBerry World.
Under the new licensing agreement BlackBerry signed with Amazon, users will gain access to 240,000 Android apps in the Amazon Appstore when the BlackBerry 10.3 makes its official debut later this year. This means that BlackBerry users will finally be able to enjoy widely popular apps such as Netflix, Pinterest, Groupon, Candy Crush Saga, Minecraft, and many others.
The Canadian company will also continue to offer its own BlackBerry World alongside the Amazon Appstore.
In separate news, BlackBerry has also announced that its popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will finally hit the Windows Phone platform as soon as next month, but no exact release date is currently available.
BlackBerry has been having a difficult time in recent years when it comes to staying relevant in an increasingly-competitive smartphone market, but the company is not going down without a fight. The handset maker continues to bolster both its hardware and software portfolios, and the latest deal with Amazon may help boost the relevance of the BlackBerry platform and attract more potential buyers. It remains to be seen, however, whether BlackBerry will be able to make a notable comeback.
