BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) will launch its most popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) app on Android platform this weekend, according to the company. Androids users will get to use the app for the first times on Saturday September 21st while, for iOS, the app will be available on Sunday.
It comes as a surprise that BlackBerry revealed about launching the BBM just after a day when Samsung Nigeria posted on twitter about BBM app to be launched exclusively on Galaxy devices for three months, which BlackBerry reportedly denied.
What’s special for Android and iOS users?
With BBM, on Android and iOS, users will get to communicate with BlackBerry owners. The app will be equipped with features like delivery, read and typing notifications. Additionally, it will allow users to share files, images, voice notes and supports group chats with up to 30 people. BlackBerry will port its BBM channel feature on iOS and Android in the coming months.
Android 4.0 and above and iOS 6 and iOS 7 will be compatible with the BBM. In the recent years, there has been a flood of messaging apps so it would be a challenge for the BlackBerry to get users for its once dominating service.
Every BlackBerry messenger user will have an exclusive PIN saving users by not to share their phone numbers or email addresses to usual contacts.
Good move by BlackBerry
There are more than 60 million monthly active users on BlackBerry messaging and most of them use BBM for 90 minutes per day on an average.
Users of BlackBerry Messenger send and receive a total of more than 10 billion messages each day, which is almost double to many messages per user per day compared to other mobile instant messaging apps.
In India, Android users can download BBM from Google Play on their smartphones from 4:30 pm onwards on the same day. According to research firm IDC, more than 5 million phones shipped to India from January to March were Android phones out of total 6.1 million phones. Apple iPhone holds a little share in Indian smartphone segment.
Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President for BBM at BlackBerry said, “With more than a billion Android, iOS, and BlackBerry smartphones in the market, and no dominant mobile messaging platform, this is absolutely the right time to bring BBM to Android and iPhone customers.”
