14 DAY TRIAL // The official BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) application for Windows Phone devices started to arrive on devices last week, and it has already received its second update, it seems.
The software is available for download only in a beta flavor as of now, and only for Windows Phone users who joined the beta testing program, but it appears that it is advancing nicely, and that it might see wider availability soon.
In the Windows Phone Store, the new BBM for Windows Phone Beta release can be seen listed as version 1.0.0.4. A recent article on nokiapoweruser, however, claims that the software lands on handsets as version 99.0.0.362.
Following the update, all those who entered the aforementioned beta testing program should enjoy a variety of performance improvements, along with bug fixes and new features.
According to the available changelog, one of the issues that have been resolved in the new release is related to BBM taking too long to load.
Moreover, the update should fix a problem that made switching from an old device to a new one a lengthy process, and another one that prevented users from sending email invites (basically, these invites landed in inbox as emails).
Another bug resolved in this release is related to location being turned off, which triggered a toast or dialog to inform user and turn the location on when the “send location” option was on in chat.
The new release comes with other fixes as well:
Device global language settings don’t appear to be changing all of the text within the BBM app; WiFi Out of Coverage WinPhone doesn’t send queued invites/acceptances; When location is turned off and send location in chat, a toast or dialog should appear to inform user and turn the location on; Group profile picture change not affecting the pinned tile image; Group tile is splatted, but Contacts Pivot is not.
Keep in mind that this is only a beta release, which means that it still includes a series of issues, some of which are already known. For example, the app gets stuck on launch screen on some Windows Phone 8.1 devices, case in which users will need to exit it and relaunch.
On smartphones with low memory, such as the Nokia Lumia 520 or Lumia 720, occasional crashes might occur (out of memory exceptions).
At the same time, users will see an error message when using “Find Friends” and the “OK” button is selected, the aforementioned release notes reveal.
As mentioned above, BBM for Windows Phone Beta is available only for select users at the moment, though BlackBerry has already confirmed its general availability in a matter of weeks, which means that it should not be too long before more people can enjoy its capabilities.