BlackBerry’s instant messaging platform BBM will begin rolling out for Android and iPhone customers around the world from 21 September.
Previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones, BBM will be available as a free download in Google Play and the App Store.
“BBM is a very engaging messaging service that is simple to use, easy to personalize and has an immediacy that is necessary for mobile communications,” says Andrew Bocking, executive vice-president for BBM at BlackBerry.
“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.”
BBM for Android and iPhone features:
* BBM Chat – enjoy real, immediate conversations with friends on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones. Not only does BBM let users know that their message has been delivered and read, it also shows if the friend is responding to the message.
* More than chat – with BBM users can share files on their phone such as photos and voice notes, all in an instant.
* Keep the group in the loop – multi-person chats are a great way to invite contacts to chat together. BBM Groups lets users invite up to 30 friends to chat together, and go a step further than multi-chat by sharing photos and schedules. And, with Broadcast Message, users can send a message out to all your BBM contacts at once.
* Post updates and stay in the know – BBM lets users post a personal message, profile picture and their current status, and lets their contacts know instantly in Updates.
* A unique PIN – every BBM user has a unique PIN that maintains privacy, so they don’t have to give out a phone number or email address to a new or casual contact.
BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) from 21 September. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store on 22 September.