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BlackBerry 10's Skype app will be an Android port (update)

BlackBerry 10's Skype app will be an Android port (update)

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BlackBerry 10 Skype
BlackBerry 10 Skype

Skype has confirmed that it is working with BlackBerry to port its Skype for Android app to the BlackBerry 10 platform. On its support website, Skype writes that "we are working closely with BlackBerry to ensure the Skype for Android app runs great in the BlackBerry 10 environment." That could be disappointing news for BlackBerry 10 owners who use Skype; as we found out in our review of the Z10, ported Android apps aren't implemented very well, and are based on a version of Android that's almost two years old. There's also the fact that Skype on Android isn't a polished app to begin with, and it's not likely to get better running through an interpreter. (BlackBerry hopes to support Android 4.1 Jelly Bean apps and features, eventually.) There's no word on a release date yet, other than "soon."

Update: A Skype spokesperson has reached out to us with more details about the company's plans to support BlackBerry 10's features: "We are closely collaborating with BlackBerry to ensure the app runs well and that BlackBerry 10 users will have a great Skype experience. To that end, we are working closely with BlackBerry to open up some of the integration points available to native apps in the OS so that they can also be used by the Skype application and we expect the app will allow Skype users to see notifications, to start the app from the Hub, and to see their Skype contacts in the native phone book."