In an interesting move that stems from some issues users on OS 10.2 are having , BlackBerry has made the BlackBerry Android Runtime available for download. Apparently some installs of OS 10.2 aren't carrying over the Android Runtime properly, so users are having problems when trying to run certain Android applications.

When attempting to open an Android application on the BlackBerry 10 smartphone running BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.0.x, the application attempts to open and then closes on its own. This same application functioned properly prior to upgrading to BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.0.x.

The Android Runtime in BlackBerry world is version 10.2.0.132 and the one on most versions of OS 10.2 is 10.0.2.131, so this isn't very far off at all. It does look like it's only available for the Z10 and Q10 as well.

So this is a great deal on multiple levels. Obviously it allows anyone having Android issues to get fixed up, but also because down the road, BlackBerry can ultimately put out updates to the Android Runtime through BlackBerry World as they see fit (possibly). That means we wouldn't be reliant on carrier updates for a new version of the Android Runtime. Important to some, maybe not so much for others.

If you're one of the handful having issues, head to the link below to download the updated runtime. Keep in mind that if you're not affected you won't really gain anything from this either, so best to just move along.

More information/Download BlackBerry Android Runtime