Google has announced that it is ending support for its Gmail app for BlackBerry devices and will pull its native app from the BlackBerry operating system on November 22.
In a short post on the Google App Updates blog, Google announced the "Deprecation of Gmail App for BlackBerry," saying it was removing its BlackBerry app in order to focus on Gmail in the mobile browser.
Those who have already downloaded the Gmail app will still be able to use it, but Google will not be issuing updates or providing any continued support. BlackBerry owners have until November 22 to download the Gmail app before it disappears forever.
In the blog post Google did not give any concrete reason why it was pulling its Gmail app. Here's their explanation:
Over this past year, we've focused efforts on building a great Gmail experience in the mobile browser and will continue investing in this area.
This is the second time in a week that Google has removed an app from a mobile operating system, as the search giant released and subsequently pulled its Gmail app for Apple devices within a series of hours last Wednesday. That app removal was triggered by widespread bug and crash reports, however, that have not plagued the Gmail app on RIM devices.
With Gmail gone from BlackBerry and iOS, and with Windows Phone never having, Google's Android the only significant operating system in the United States with a native Gmail app. Here is a spreadsheet of Gmail availability across mobile operating systems from the Gmail for Mobile website; we've removed a checkmark from the BlackBerry native app box, as the site has not yet been updated to reflect the day's announcement:
