BlackBerry’s BBM instant messaging service will be available to Android and iPhone users from the weekend. The free application, which was previously only available on BlackBerry devices, will be launched via Google Play on Saturday and the Apple App Store on Sunday.
BBM offers one-to-one and group messaging, with an option to check when a message has been read. It can also be used as a social network by posting a status update for other BBM contacts to see. All users have a unique identification number, which means they don’t need to give out their email address or mobile phone number.
Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President for BBM at BlackBerry, said “BBM is a very engaging messaging service that is simple to use, easy to personalize and has an immediacy that is necessary for mobile communications. 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.”
More than 60 million people currently use BBM every month.