14 DAY TRIAL // Last month, BlackBerry promised that it would bring its BBM instant messaging service to Android devices powered by the Gingerbread operating system.
Since its launch last year, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has only been compatible with smartphones that run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform and up.
That left around 20% of Android users out, which was a huge number if we take into consideration the fact that Google's mobile operating system is the most popular in the world.
Perhaps the number is not that accurate given the fact that Google is only getting statistics based on the devices that are accessing its Google Play Store, but the fact still remains that there was a very high number of Android users who did not have access to one of the most popular instant messaging services available on the market.
Well, it appears that the Canadian company has just kept its promise, as Jeff Gadway, head of product and brand marketing for BBM, has just announced that the application now supports Android Gingerbread smartphones.
“Back in January we told you we were busy cooking up a special release of BBM for Android Gingerbread. Now, we’re pleased to share that it’s ready and will be available starting today.
This means that Android Gingerbread users can start to enjoy the immediacy, privacy and control of BBM to chat and share with friends, family and people they work with.
With 21 per cent of the global Android user base running on Gingerbread, we’re excited to welcome lots of new users in to the BBM community.”
Those who are still using older Android devices powered by the Gingerbread operating system may want to download the latest version of BBM for their smartphones, by going to www.BBM.com.
In addition, you can now download BBM for Android 2.0.0.13 for free via Google Play store. The application should be fully compatible with most devices powered by Android 2.3 and up.