BBM available on Android and iPhone devices

BBM available on Android and iPhone devices

After months of waiting, iPhone and Android users will soon be able to download the iconic messaging application: BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

An official statement from BlackBerry, formerly known as RIM (Research in Motion), confirms that BBM will be available to download on Android and iPhone operating systems on September 21 and 22, respectively.

Formerly exclusive to BlackBerry, the app will be free to download in Google Play and the App Store. Every BBM user will have a unique PIN that maintains their privacy, so using phone numbers or email addresses to add new contacts will not be necessary.

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. For iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7, BBM will become available for each market on the App Store from 12:01am local time.

“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,” says Andrew Bocking, executive vice-president for BBM at BlackBerry.

“With more than one 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.”

In June, when the application was anticipated to be released on both operating systems, thousands of users were scammed by a bogus version of BBM. An application, called ‘blackberry messenger bbm,’ created by developer RIM, was available on Android’s Google Play store at the time.

Google eventually had it removed, but not before 100,000 Android users downloaded it.