BlackBerry has announced BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will become available on Android and iOS platforms this summer, opening up the feature to hundreds of millions of smartphone users.
The announcement was made by company’s chief executive officer (CEO) Thorsten Heins at BlackBerry Live, who said it was the right time to make BBM an independent mobile messaging platform.
“It is a state of confidence,” Heins explained. “The BB10 platform is so strong and the response has been so good that the time is right for BBM to become an independent mobile messaging platform.
“BBM actually was a key element of (why) people were going to BlackBerry. We feel this platform and its product are standing on its own legs. That is the time to release BBM to another level and really let BBM flourish on its own.”
BlackBerry says the app will be free on both platforms and will inject much needed competition into the messaging apps market.
Users will however be required to have devices utilising Ice Cream Sandwich and iOS 6 versions, while the messaging service will in the first phase avail only the messaging and group features, with other features set to be added later.
The announcement comes at a time when the company is having a hard time promoting its devices and keeping its customers, with the latest reports indicating the company lost one million users in the last quarter.
