BBM for Android and iOS gets voice calling, Channels and more

BBM for Android and iOS gets voice calling, Channels and more

BBM for Android and iOS gets voice calling, Channels and more

BlackBerry has rolled out a major update to its BlackBerry Messenger application on Android and iOS platforms. The update brings a slew of new features including voice calling, Channels and new emoticons.

With the new update, BBM users on Android and iPhone will be able to make free voice calls to BBM contacts over Wi-Fi or cellular data connection.

Users can also access BBM Channels broadcast service. BBM channels lets users interact with other BBM users on topics of similar interest. BBM Channels includes topics across hobbies and sports to entertainment, fashion, cars and others. Users have options to schedule live chats or have private channels.

Other important features that the new update brings include voice notes, ability to share live location, new emoticons and one-click sharing of images.

In addition to this, BBM users on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones will also get features like one-click sharing of photos, documents, voice notes and more, the ability to share their live location for a specified amount of time with other contacts, and 100 new emoticons

BBM for Android clocks 10 million downloads; no more waiting list

BBM for Android clocks 10 million downloads; no more waiting list

BBM for Android clocks 10 million downloads; no more waiting list

BlackBerry Messenger for Android shows no signs of slowing down, with the application crossing 10 million downloads on Android alone, worldwide. However, not everyone who downloaded BBM on their Android or iOS devices could sign in immediately, because BlackBerry had deployed the waiting list method for a majority of users to ensure there was no repeat of the server load issues that the first release attempt faced. However, that test of patience has now been removed as well, with anyone downloading BBM on their smartphone can now sign up / sign in immediately.

Read: BBM for iPhone review

The popularity of BBM during this initial phase of availability can be measured by the respective app stores’ rating of the app. Apple’s App Store lists BBM in the top three free apps listing, while Google Play Store has it at the top spot in the Top New Free Android Apps list, at least at the time of writing this.

BBM’s popularity on Android and iOS is critical good news for BlackBerry, particularly because the company was betting big on huge download numbers to get the cross platform BBM on the map, where Whatsapp leads at the moment.

You can download BBM on your iOS or Android device directly from the application store on the device itself.

BBM for Android and iOS now available for download

BBM for Android and iOS now available for download

BBM for Android and iOS now available for download

BlackBerry has announced the launch of the BBM messaging app for iOS and Android. The app is available to users for download from the Google Play store, Apple App store and select Samsung App stores for free.

If you are one who had registered on BBM.com, then you can download the app and begin using the BBM services. If not, here’s what you need to do:
Download BlackBerry Messenger for Android or iPhone
Install the app, open it, and enter your email address
BlackBerry will email you when you’re next in line for access

The BBM Blog reads, “If you are among the millions that took the time to sign up at BBM.com, you can start using BBM immediately without waiting in line (Samsung customers in Sub-Sahara Africa can download BBM today from the Samsung Apps store. iPhone and other Android users in Africa will be able to download the app in three days’ time.). If you didn’t sign up in advance, don’t worry – we are focused on moving millions of customers through the line as fast as possible.”

The question still remains as to how much time a new user will have to wait before he gets the approval email from BBM. If it takes too long, some users may just get frustrated and shift to the large library of other messaging apps available.

The BBM app for iOS and Android was originally scheduled for launch on September 21. The app was pulled back as a lot of users were able to side load it on their smartphones due to the leaked APK.

The BBM blog reads, “About six million people signed up for information about BBM at BBM.com. As you know, in just seven hours, about one million Android users were using the unreleased version of BBM for Android”.

Its nice to see that BBM has finally launched and now iOS and Android users can stay in touch with family and friends that refuse to get rid of their BlackBerry. The BBM messaging app has some serious competition as we have a large library of cross platform messaging apps available such as WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, HipChat, Facebook Messanger, Line and more.

BBM for Android episode: BlackBerry clarifies its side

BBM for Android episode: BlackBerry clarifies its side

BBM for Android episode: BlackBerry clarifies its side

Putting a rest to all speculation about why the BlackBerry Messenger for Android and iOS isn’t available at the moment, BlackBerry has released its side of the entire episode, where the company blames the leaked versions of BBM for causing the issue that “impacted the system in abnormal ways”. It was just yesterday that we were mentioning on this website regarding the serious need of ensuring some quality control on the Google Play Store. (Read it in detail here).

Andrew Bocking, head of BBM at BlackBerry clarified BlackBerry’s side in a post. He says, “Last week, an unreleased, older version of the BBM for Android app was posted on numerous file sharing sites. We were aware of an issue with this unreleased version of the BBM for Android app. This older version resulted in volumes of data traffic orders of magnitude higher than normal for each active user and impacted the system in abnormal ways. The version we were planning to release on Saturday addressed these issues, however we could not block users of the unreleased version if we went ahead with the launch. We attempted to address the problems caused by the unreleased version throughout the day on Saturday, but as active users of the unreleased app neared a million – and accelerated – it became clear that the only way to address the issue was to pause the rollout for both Android and iPhone.”

However, all is not lost, despite BlackBerry confirming that the BBM rollout will not happen this week at least. “The team is now focused on adjusting the system to completely block this unreleased version of the Android app when we go live with the official BBM for Android app. We are also making sure that the system is reinforced to handle this kind of scenario in the future. While this may sound like a simple task – it’s not. This will take some time and I do not anticipate launching this week.”

Clearly, because of the “open” nature of one platform, the iOS users also have to suffer, as BlackBerry is in the process of a massive cleanup at the system level. Maybe, too much freedom is a bad thing.

Confirmation: BBM for Android on September 21st, iPhone version on September 22nd

Confirmation: BBM for Android on September 21st, iPhone version on September 22nd

Confirmation: BBM for Android on September 21st, iPhone version on September 22nd

After a lot of guesswork typical to the rumor mill, BlackBerry has finally put the creatures at peace, by announcing the release dates for the much awaited BlackBerry Messenger for Android and the iPhone. The Android version will be available for download on 21st September (Saturday), while the iPhone version goes Live a day later.

In an update post regarding the BlackBerry Messenger availability, the BlackBerry says, “BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7AM EDT on September 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22.”

BlackBerry has however, not mentioned anything about Samsung’s claim that BBM will be exclusive for Samsung Galaxy smartphones for a certain period. (Read details here)

At the moment, there are 60 million users on BBM, and is available exclusively on BlackBerry smartphones. It will be interesting to see how it shapes up when competing with the more established messenger apps - WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger etc.

Do let us know your experience after downloading BBM on your Android smartphone or the iPhone.