BlackBerry Limited
BlackBerry Limited, formerly Research In Motion (RIM), is a Canadian software company specializing in secure communications and the Internet of things, Internet of Things (IoT). Founded in 1984, it developed the BlackBerry brand of Interactiv ...
. The service provided
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...
users with an environment to browse, download, and update
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...
s, including third-party applications.
The service went live on , originally named BlackBerry App World. It worked with
BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10 (BB10) is a proprietary mobile operating system for the BlackBerry line of smartphones, both developed by BlackBerry Limited (formerly known as Research In Motion). Released in January 2013, BlackBerry 10 is a complete rework from t ...
devices, the
BlackBerry PlayBook
The BlackBerry PlayBook is a mini tablet computer that was developed by BlackBerry. It was manufactured by Quanta Computer, an original design manufacturer (ODM).
, and a majority of
BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS is a discontinued proprietary mobile operating system developed by Canadian company Research In Motion (now BlackBerry Limited) for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices. The operating system provides multitasking ...
devices. At one point in 2011, BlackBerry World had the largest revenue per app at $9,166.67, compared to its rivals ($6,562.50 by Nokia Ovi Store, $6,480.00 by Apple App Store and $1,200.00 by Google Android Market), although total revenue was lower than Apple App Store.
BlackBerry devices after 2015 (with the release of the
BlackBerry Priv
The BlackBerry Priv is a slider smartphone developed by BlackBerry Limited. Following a series of leaks, it was officially announced by BlackBerry CEO John Chen on September 25, 2015, and released on November 6, 2015. The Priv was the first Bla ...
) no longer use the BlackBerry 10
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...
, but instead use the Android operating system with the Google Play store for app distribution instead. BlackBerry World servers alongside other BlackBerry services shut down in January 2022.
History
In 2003, Research In Motion (RIM) (now known as
BlackBerry Limited
BlackBerry Limited, formerly Research In Motion (RIM), is a Canadian software company specializing in secure communications and the Internet of things, Internet of Things (IoT). Founded in 1984, it developed the BlackBerry brand of Interactiv ...
) launched the ''Mobile Data Service'' to enable customers to access
Java
Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
-based third-party enterprise applications using the secure real-time push-based BlackBerry infrastructure.
Later on 21 October 2008, RIM announced at the BlackBerry Developer Conference that the company would open an application store for their devices.
It was also announced that the store was scheduled to be open in March 2009, and would work in conjunction with
PayPal
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support E-commerce payment system, online money transfers; it serves as an electronic alter ...
's services. On 19 January 2009, RIM began accepting submissions of applications from developers.
On 4 March 2009, RIM officially named the store 'BlackBerry App World' (previously called the BlackBerry Application Storefront). It was also confirmed that the service would not initially be available for desktops, and only a web-based catalogue would be accessible from non-BlackBerry devices.
On 1 April 2009, at the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) trade show, RIM announced that App World had gone live.
At the BlackBerry-sponsored Wireless Symposium, it was announced that an average of one million apps were being downloaded each day.
On 19 August 2010, BlackBerry App World 2.0 was released. This new version introduced BlackBerry ID; a single sign, account system that can be used on both the BlackBerry client, and the BlackBerry App World desktop storefront. In addition to BlackBerry ID, BlackBerry App World 2.0 also introduced direct credit card billing and carrier billing for
AT&T Wireless
AT&T Mobility, LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. Formed in April 2000 as Cingular Wireless LLC, It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless serv ...
subscribers.
On 3 December 2010, Research in Motion announced that daily downloads were two million apps per day.
On 2 February 2011, BlackBerry App World 2.1 was released. This version introduced in-app purchases of digital goods, allowing for add-ons to be purchased within applications.
On 21 January 2013, BlackBerry announced that it rebranded the ''BlackBerry App World'' to simpler ''BlackBerry World'', as part of the release of the
BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10 (BB10) is a proprietary mobile operating system for the BlackBerry line of smartphones, both developed by BlackBerry Limited (formerly known as Research In Motion). Released in January 2013, BlackBerry 10 is a complete rework from t ...
operating system.
On 18 June 2014, BlackBerry announced an official relationship with
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
, which includes access to
Amazon Appstore
Amazon Appstore is an app store for Android-compatible platforms operated by Amazon.com Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon. On August 20, 2025 the Amazon Appstore will be inaccessible on third party Android devices and apps bought from the Am ...
in BlackBerry 10.3.
On 14 December 2017, BlackBerry announced that BlackBerry World would close at the end of 2019, however the store was not closed, and continued to function as of August 2020. On 1 April 2018, BlackBerry removed payment features from BlackBerry World.
The store eventually closed in January 2022 with other BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS services.
Milestones
At the beginning of 2011, 16,000 apps were available on BlackBerry App World. A year later, the app store passed 60,000 apps (January 2012), and a month later 70,000 apps (February 2012). At BlackBerry Jam in September 2012, RIM announced that App World had more than 105,000 apps.
In May 2013, at the Blackberry Live Conference, BlackBerry announced that over 120,000 apps for BlackBerry 10 were available to download from BlackBerry World.
Application verification was done for BlackBerry World apps about content and quality before is agreed to launch. About 85 percent of the verification was done in
Denpasar
Denpasar (; Balinese script, Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ, ''Dénpasar'') is the capital city of the province of Bali, Indonesia.
Denpasar is the largest city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second largest city in Eastern Indonesia after ...
,
Bali
Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
.
Pricing and availability
Research In Motion (RIM) announced that the store would initially be available in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. As of March 2013, BlackBerry World was available in 170 markets, and supporteds 23 currencies and 33 languages. Over 6 million applications were downloaded daily, with an aggregate of over 4 billion downloads to-date.
As of August 2020, BlackBerry World was available in 171 countries and territories.
Applications were both free and paid; from $0.99, to $599.99 USD in the U.S.
The store was available for the following BlackBerry devices that are updated to
BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS is a discontinued proprietary mobile operating system developed by Canadian company Research In Motion (now BlackBerry Limited) for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices. The operating system provides multitasking ...
BlackBerry PlayBook
The BlackBerry PlayBook is a mini tablet computer that was developed by BlackBerry. It was manufactured by Quanta Computer, an original design manufacturer (ODM).
*
BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981
The BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 is a bar-style smartphone developed by Research In Motion and Porsche Design, announced together on October 27, 2011 in Dubai. It was a variant of the latest model of the BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Bold 9900, ...
BlackBerry Pearl
The BlackBerry Pearl is a smartphone developed by BlackBerry Limited, Research In Motion (RIM). The Pearl (8100) was launched on September 12, 2006, marking the first BlackBerry device Camera phone, with a camera, media player and other multimedi ...
3G 9100/9105
*
BlackBerry Pearl
The BlackBerry Pearl is a smartphone developed by BlackBerry Limited, Research In Motion (RIM). The Pearl (8100) was launched on September 12, 2006, marking the first BlackBerry device Camera phone, with a camera, media player and other multimedi ...
8100/8110/8120/8130
*
BlackBerry Pearl
The BlackBerry Pearl is a smartphone developed by BlackBerry Limited, Research In Motion (RIM). The Pearl (8100) was launched on September 12, 2006, marking the first BlackBerry device Camera phone, with a camera, media player and other multimedi ...
Users were initially allowed to archive their apps on a MicroSD, or on eMMC storage of certain BlackBerry smartphone models. The archive to external memory card function was later removed with the release of App World 3.0.
Developer
In 2010, Research In Motion (RIM) announced several new tools to make it easier for BlackBerry applications developers to build, simulate, deploy, and monetise feature-rich applications on the BlackBerry platform; including the BlackBerry Enterprise Application Development Platform, the next generation BlackBerry Web Application Platform,
BlackBerry WebWorks
The BlackBerry PlayBook is a Tablet computer#Mini tablet, mini tablet computer that was developed by BlackBerry (company), BlackBerry. It was manufactured by Quanta Computer, an original design manufacturer (ODM).Lua,
OpenAL
OpenAL (Open Audio Library) is a cross-platform audio application programming interface (API). It is designed for efficient rendering of multichannel three-dimensional positional audio. Its API style and conventions deliberately resemble those o ...
, cocos2d-x, and Box2D, and has an open source repository that can be accessed at GitHub.com/blackberry. This open ecosystem helps developers target multiple platforms through partnerships with Appcelerator, Apache Cordova, dojo, jQuery Mobile, Marmalade, NME, Qt, and Sencha Touch.
BlackBerry has changed its whole direction of development tools, mainly embracing their C++ / Cascades as the 'native' road to develop
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...
s for their
BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10 (BB10) is a proprietary mobile operating system for the BlackBerry line of smartphones, both developed by BlackBerry Limited (formerly known as Research In Motion). Released in January 2013, BlackBerry 10 is a complete rework from t ...
platform.
HTML5
HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language 5) is a markup language used for structuring and presenting hypertext documents on the World Wide Web. It was the fifth and final major HTML version that is now a retired World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommend ...
is considered the almost-native second path for development. In April 2014, BlackBerry has announced to stop the support of
Adobe Air
Adobe AIR (also known as Adobe Integrated Runtime and codenamed Apollo) is a cross-platform runtime system currently developed by Harman International, in collaboration with Adobe Inc., for building desktop applications and mobile application ...
with the release of BlackBerry 10.3.1 to be released later 2014. From the time of the release of BlackBerry 10.3.1, it will not be possible to upload new
Adobe Air
Adobe AIR (also known as Adobe Integrated Runtime and codenamed Apollo) is a cross-platform runtime system currently developed by Harman International, in collaboration with Adobe Inc., for building desktop applications and mobile application ...
-based apps to BlackBerry World.
See also
*
List of mobile app distribution platforms
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...