BBM App on Android and iPhone iOS: Release Date for BlackBerry Messenger

BlackBerry’s BBM App for Android and iPhone release has been delayed after an unofficial version of the app surfaced on Google Play Store.

BlackBerry did well in creating great hype for BBM app for Android and iPhone. Few months ago, they had already launched a sign up so that users could register their email address to download the app.

BlackBerry claims over 2.5 million people have registered their email address for the BBM app. BlackBerry Messenger which was once exclusively available for BlackBerry devices has now being made available for Android devices and iPhones.

The Canadian company is on the verge on selling itself and it has already planned to cut down 4500 jobs. It also plans to retreat from consumer market and plans to focus on business sector.

BBM App Release Date for iOS and Android Devices

Availability of Blackberry Messenger on Apple iOS and Google Android smartphone operating system has been a hot topic since 2012. But despite of an year passed, the BBM App for iOS and Android has not been yet officially launched.

Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins announced on May 14 at Blackberry Live that BBM will be facilitated to Android and iOS this summer.

In the mid of 2013, BB has officially confirmed that Blackberry Messenger will be available on Apple App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users. The BBM app for Android phones and tablets users is also coming out on Google Play Store.

BlackBerry announced the launch of BBM for iOS and Android devices on September 21, 2013 which was soon pulled back due to the unauthorized leaking of BBM Android version.

The BlackBerry Messenger iOS app appeared in some regions and along with a leaked version of the BBM Android app. The app was downloaded by more than 1.1 million people during its first eight hours of availability.

BlackBerry announced that now it plans for BlackBerry Messenger release in a country wise staged roll-out. But BlackBerry did not give a timeline for this new rollout.

However, BBM could be set to make its debut on iPhone and Android devices sooner rather than later, with the firm's CMO claiming that the BBM for Android and iPhone iOS will be released "within days". The company is yet to announce a new release date for the free software.

Why BlackBerry Messenger for Android and iOS?

BBM was undoubtedly the famous feature of BlackBerry phones but now that many of the previous BlackBerry users have switched to Android or other devices, many had already forgotten the BBM app. Still, BlackBerry feels that BBM app can still achieve the same popularity. Well, the app is still popular as it was seen that in just eight hours more than 1.1 million downloads were done for the unofficial app that was leaked on Google Play Store.

You may think why BlackBerry is offering the BBM app on other mobile operating systems. According to Andrew Bocking who deals with BBM for BlackBerry claims that there is no dominant app when it comes to mobile messaging. BBM has been trusted by millions of BlackBerry users. Also, people have been demanding to release an Android and iOS version of BBM. So, even if you are using an Android device or iPhone, you can engage with friends using the BBM app.

If you have already used the BBM, you will definitely want to use the app again on your Android device or iPhone. However, if you have never used the app before, you should know what is different about this messaging app. Instead of connecting to the recipient, BBM makes use of a PIN number. It offers complete privacy and you will know when your messages are delivered and read.

As of now more than 60 million people are using the BBM app. So, by releasing BBM for Android and iPhone, it does plans expand its user base. Bocking claims that there are plenty of users waiting to use BBM over Whatsapp. Unlike other messaging app, you do not need to share your phone number. If you happen to change phone numbers frequently, your contacts will not be able to reach you. However, with BBM, you do not contact a phone number to initiate chat but make use of PIN number.

Once you have the app on your device, you can send invitation to others through email or SMS. Once the invitation is accepted, you can do several things to connect such as through barcode scanning, NFC tapping and other ways.

As of now, BlackBerry is only offering groups and messaging feature on BBM for Android and iPhone. The other features which are already available for BlackBerry devices like videos chats, voice calls and BBM channels will arrive later on. Now the app will only be made available for mainstream mobile operating system like Android and iOS; however, if Windows Phones becomes more popular in the future, the BBM app for Windows Phone will also arrive.