BlackBerry's next smartphone could come with a different, yet familiar operating system: Android.
According to Reuters, which cited multiple unnamed sources, the move is part of BlackBerry's strategy to turn its focus to software and device management.
Once a mobile phone giant, BlackBerry struggled to keep up after the explosion of Android and iOS. BlackBerry 10 was supposed to be its saving grace, but was plagued by glitches and delays and ultimately failed to wow consumers.
BlackBerry has allowed its phones to run Android apps for some time, but as PCMag's Sascha Segan noted last year, the company didn't initially make that fact well known. That's no longer the case, with execs now freely talking up Android compatibility
BlackBerry has slowed embraced competing mobile OSes, releasing BlackBerry Messenger on iOS and Android in 2013, and allowing those with iPhones and Android devices to tap into BlackBerry Enterprise Service from their own phones. Still, it has not yet replaced its own OS with Android on any phones.
That could change, though. Reuters said BlackBerry is looking to add Android to an upcoming handset, likely a slider phone that will arrive in the fall—perhaps the one BlackBerry teased at this year's MWC.
"We don't comment on rumors and speculation, but we remain committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and productivity benefits that are unmatched," BlackBerry said in a statement to PCMag.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For more, see PCMag's review of the BlackBerry Passport and the slideshow above.