No native Instagram app coming to BlackBerry 10, report claims

By Trevor Mogg February 22, 2013

It seems that BlackBerry 10 users hoping for a native Instagram app are going to be disappointed, with a report Thursday suggesting the photo-sharing company has no plans to build one anytime soon.

An unnamed source apparently close to Instagram told AllThingsD that “there will be no [native] Instagram for BB10 for now,” adding, “Frankly, I’m not sure there will ever be.”

Sure, it’s early days for BlackBerry 10 – the platform that needs to succeed if the company formerly known as RIM is to survive in its current form – but to win over consumers and present itself as a viable alternative to iOS and Android, a decent selection of apps is paramount and really needs to include the big names.

Native versions of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are already available in the mobile company’s BlackBerry World app store, but there are still glaring omissions, most notably Netflix and Instagram.

The reasons for Instagram’s reported decision to hold off from building a native app for BB10 aren’t certain. It could be that it just doesn’t have the resources – its team comprises around 20 employees, after all – and also it may be reluctant to take the risk with a new platform whose future at this stage isn’t certain.

But it’s not all bad news for Instagram fans interested in forking out for a BB10 device, as the photo-sharing company is said to be working on a port of the Android version of its popular app. Keep in mind though, the fact that it won’t be optimized for the BB10 platform could mean the user experience won’t be as smooth as you’d get with a native version.

Of course, it’s quite possible that on hearing that a native Instagram app may not be coming to BB10, many of those interested in getting their hands on one of BlackBerry’s new handsets will simply shrug their shoulders and utter a carefree “no problem”, though as for BlackBerry, the Ontario-based mobile maker would certainly like to see it in its online store at some point.

Having big names like Instagram holding back from its fledgling platform could send out the wrong message to other developers and may make it that bit more difficult for BlackBerry to establish itself as the number three platform in the mobile market after iOS and Android, a position BlackBerry boss Thorsten Heins has publicly stated as a goal of the company.

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