BBM for Android and iOS to launch this weekend

LONDON — BlackBerry has announced that its popular instant messaging service BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will be available on Android from Sept 21 and iOS from Sept 22, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones, BBM will be available as a free download in Google Play and the App Store. Customers will also be able to download BBM by visiting www.BBM.com from their smartphone browser.

BBM runs in the background and is always on, meaning that messages on BBM are typically delivered and read within seconds. It also keeps a record of messages that have been delivered and read, and uses a PIN to keep contacts and information secure.

“BBM is a very engaging messaging service that is simple to use, easy to personalise and has an immediacy that is necessary for mobile communications,” said Mr Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President for BBM at BlackBerry.

“With more than a billion Android, iOS, and BlackBerry smartphones in the market, and no dominant mobile messaging platform, this is absolutely the right time to bring BBM to Android and iPhone customers.”

Android and iPhone users who download the BBM app will be able to carry out both one-on-one and group text chats, and share files such as photos and voice notes instantly. They will also be able to send a message to all of their BBM contacts in one go using the ‘Broadcast Message’ function.

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean beginning at 7pm on Sept 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 7.01pm on Sept 22.

The news comes amid rumours that it is planning to cut up to 40 per cent of its workforce by the end of the year in a bid to save costs. The Wall Street Journal said people “familiar with the matter” had revealed the planned cuts which are expected to affect all departments and be implemented in waves.

BlackBerry is also reportedly considering spinning off its popular messaging service BBM to form a new company. This would allow the new business to operate with greater independence, but it would also pitch it against much larger services such as Skype, owned by Microsoft, standalone messaging apps such as WhatsApp and increasingly popular in-house options owned by other manufacturers, including Samsung’s ChatOn.

In the UK, BlackBerry’s share of the smartphone market has shrunk from 11 per cent to 3.5 per cent in the last year, as consumers opt for rival devices running Andriod, iOS and Windows Phone OS. The company announced last month that it has put itself up for sale in the hope a new owner might help it turn around its struggling smartphone business. AGENCIES