Canadian smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry may soon launch an Android phone, as fewer people are using its handsets running on its own BlackBerry operating system.

Quoting a report in CNET, Latin Post says that of late Blackberry has been struggling to prevail over the reputation as well as the extensive use of phones running on the Android and iOS operating systems. The report also quotes Reuters stating that Blackberry may possibly use the Android OS to power an "upcoming slider device" that is likely to be released this fall.

The report says that citing sources "familiar with the matter' on Thursday, Reuters claimed that the upcoming device would have the combination of a touchscreen as well as a slide out keyboard, enabling users to choose the way they would prefer to input text on the smartphone.

By opting for the Android OS for its upcoming smartphone, Blackberry is mutely acknowledging that its own operating system, BlackBerry 10 OS, has failed to motivate potential smartphone customers to buy its handsets. IDC reports that, in 2014, the Blackberry 10 OS had a market share of only 0.4 percent. According to the report, if Blackberry chooses to use Android, it will be able to focus more on creating exciting new smartphones.

While Reuters is said to have made many attempts to obtain Blackberry's version on the issue, the Canadian tech firm did not respond to the requests for comments. However, it did send an email statement saying that it is "committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and productivity benefits that are unmatched."

Meanwhile, even Google did not comment on the report.

On the other hand, Blackberry has hinted that it will be coming out with a smartphone having a curved display akin to that of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge at the 2015 Mobile World Congress trade show. This smartphone is expected to sport a slide-out keyboard and may possibly be the same device that would run Android. Blackberry also introduced another smartphone without any physical keyboard, called the Leap, at the show.

BlackBerry has announced that it desires to make features such as its Hub messaging portal, virtual keyboard and security capabilities in the future and make them available in apps so that the features are functional on iPhones, iPads, as well as Android and Windows devices.