BBM to be Available on iOS and Android this Summer

BlackBerry has made an announcement yesterday at its keynote conference that the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will finally be available in Android and iOS platforms this summer. BBMis a very popular messaging app, which now has nearly 60 million users. By going cross-platform, BBM can be dealing with about 10 billion messages per day, which can be at the same level as Facebook Messenger. “Why are we doing this now? It’s a statement of confidence,” said Thorsten Heins, Blackberry’s CEO. “The BlackBerry 10 platform is so strong and support has been so good that the time is right for BBM to become an independent messaging solution.” BlackBerry Messenger will be compatible with Android 4.0 and higher, as well as iOS 6 +. By then, people using iPhone or Android phoneswill be able to send chats and join BBM groups. Heins also said the BBM experience is the “premiere and most integrated” and “Even better, it’s free.” However, people may worry that if BBM is available for iPhone and Android, will it take away sales from BlackBerrys? Perhaps so, but probably only in developing countries. SOURCE: VentureBeat