14 DAY TRIAL // BlackBerry has just previewed the most important new features that will arrive on BBM for Android and iOS in 2014. One of the most popular instant messengers for mobile devices, BBM is still missing lots of features on Android and iOS, which are already available on BlackBerry platform.
However, the Canadian company plans to make it right for Apple and Google fans by rolling out new features in 2014. Although BlackBery did not confirm any time frames for the deployment of these new features, we suspect the first major update will arrive in Q1 2014.
First of all, BBM Channels will arrive on both Android and iOS platforms sometime next year. The new feature has been in beta for almost six months before being released on BlackBerry back in November.
“BBM Channels are a great way to join conversations happening with the BBM community beyond your contact list. By creating your own channel you can start conversations sparked by your thoughts, ideas and passions. Subscribing to a BBM channel lets you join conversations with others who share your interests,” says BlackBerry's Sean Hungerford in a blog post.
Furthermore, BBM Voice and Video calling are next on the list of upcoming features for BlackBerry Messenger for Android and iOS.
You will be able to benefit from free voice calls to any BBM contact anywhere in the world as long as your device is connected to the Internet.
But there's more to it, as BlackBerry promises it will bring more than 100 new emoji to BBM users, next year: “this includes a bunch that came from you, our fans. We can’t wait for you to meet all our new emoticons from ROTFL, Epic Fail, Face palm, a serious hug and yes, even a smiley-poo.”
According to BlackBerry, these new features are currently in beta testing for release on Android and iPhone. The company hopes to launch at least some of these “in the next couple of months,” so stay tuned for more info on the matter.
