14 DAY TRIAL // BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the popular chatting service from Canadian handset vendor BlackBerry, is finally set to become available for other mobile operating systems out there this summer, with Android and iOS devices being the first to receive it.
BBM will bring to the owners of these devices a fast and reliable messaging experience, while also offering them the possibility to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues on other mobile platforms.
The initial flavor of the multi-platform BBM service will provide users with features such as the immediacy of BBM chats, group chats, voice note sharing, and BlackBerry Groups, so that BBM users could set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more.
Later this year, BBM will bring a new BBM Channels feature to Android and iOS, along with voice and video chatting, the same as it offers on BlackBerry devices.
"For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service,” Andrew Bocking, executive vice president, software product management and ecosystem, at BlackBerry, said.
“BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We're excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community.”
At the moment, BBM has over 60 million monthly active users, and more than 51 million daily active users, the Canadian mobile phone maker announced.
Furthermore, the company has unveiled that these users send and receive over 10 billion messages each day, almost double than what other mobile services enjoy.
“Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are,” BlackBerry explains in a recent blog post.
BlackBerry has yet to provide an official release date for BBM on Android and iOS (subject to approval by Google Play and the Apple App Store, as applicable), so stay tuned to learn more details on the matter.