Published On : Sat, Sep 21st, 2013

BBM for Android and iPhones to start rolling ; might suffer a delay due to fake apps

Advertisement

bbmandroidios1_2040_large_verge_medium_landscapeBlackBerry’s decision to throw open its proprietary messaging platform is yet another attempt by the struggling firm to remain relevant and arrest falling market share amid news reports that it may cut 40% of its global workforce soon. A onetime pioneer of the global smartphone turf, BlackBerry has lately been trying to survive in a market where rivals like Samsung Electronics and Apple have left it far behind in terms of market share.

And now, BlackBerry’s popular instant chat service BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will start running on rival mobile devices powered by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS software later this week in line with the Canadian smartphone maker’s plans to open up the service to hold on to market share.

BlackBerry said in a media statement on Thursday that “BBM for Android would start rolling out on September 21 and for iPhone customers a day later from September 22” globally, including India. The Canadian smartphone maker’s popular instant chat app is now available only on BlackBerry devices. But come Saturday, it will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) software. Likewise, BBM for iPhones powered by iOS 6 and iOS 7 software will become available for each market on the App Store schedule on Sunday.

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7 AM EDT (4:30 PM IST) on September 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22. Users can also download BBM by visiting www.BBM.com from their smartphone browser.

Although, the BlackBerry Messenger app for the Android platform was due to arrive on the Google Play Store at 7am EDT time, but it seems that the BBM for Android app release is experiencing a delay amount the many fake apps that are currently available.