Categories: Future Tech

BBM for iOS and Android for Free this Summer

I am pretty sure all of us have used a Blackberry once or more in our lives. The only thing that we miss about it in our super fancy iPhones and Android phones is BBM! Well, I guess there is a good news for all of you.

Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins just confirmed that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will launch for iOS and Android later this summer. It will be free and allows all users to connect to one another, but it will be the most robust on BlackBerry 10. It requires iOS 6 and Android Ice Cream Sandwich or newer. It supports messaging and group chat, but BBM Voice, Screen Share, Video and Channels will roll out later.

“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.”

The app will be free on both Android and iOS. Much like other messaging apps, it will be a standalone application.

Initially, only messaging and group features will be available. But Heins promised that the rest of BBM will eventually make its way to the Android and iOS versions including screen sharing, BBM voice and the just-announced BBM channels.

“We are making the BBM platform more powerful than ever”, Heins proudly stated. And with this very uncharacteristic move from BlackBerry, it’s hard to argue against his statement.

It’s clear BlackBerry is finally waking up. They are no longer the big dog in the mobile war. If they are to survive, the company needs to forge new relationships and learn to work well with the two reigning platforms. This move to put BBM on Android and iOS is a big step forward. BlackBerry might actually have a chance.

Akriti Chadda

Akriti is a student of Biomedical Engineering at VIT University, Vellore. She belongs to Jalandhar and is a fun loving Punjabi in the true sense. She is passionate about writing and tech-toys. She considers herself just another girl-next-door, who loves to read romantic novels, watch a nice movie with family and party with friends.

Recent Posts

AI goes global: Best universities abroad offering world-class Artificial Intelligence degrees

As we navigate a world with algorithms predicting consumer behaviour, robotic-assisted surgical procedures, and intelligence…

14 hours ago

Ness Digital Engineering launches ATONIS: An AI-powered engineering workbench to accelerate product innovation

Bridging intelligence and engineering maturity for a digital-first world Today’s engineering teams face mounting pressure…

5 days ago

War by algorithm: As AI & robotics enter our defense budgets what will our battlefields look like?

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics redefine the battlefield, how should we feel about it?…

5 days ago

Funding alert: Tech startups that raked in moolah this month

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent funding events in the tech ecosystem, seeking…

1 week ago

AI & technology trends in the glass & manufacturing industry

Walk near the glass facade of any modern building in India today, and it would…

1 week ago

AI literacy for non?tech teachers: A guide to ‘AI for everyone’

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer the exclusive domain of tech experts or computer scientists.…

2 weeks ago