New Delhi: After much speculation on tech blogs about the exact date of the much-awaited arrival (and a couple of fake apps tricking eager users) of the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for Android and iOS, BlackBerry has finally confirmed the dates.
In a statement, BlackBerry has confirmed that BBM for Android will start rolling out on September 21 and for iPhone customers a day later from September 22. We had back in July reported that the BBM for Android would be coming to Android by the end of September.
BBM which was previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones will be available as a free download in Google Play and the Apple App Store. BBM in its new versions will continue using the BBM PIN to maintain privacy, one feature that sets BBM apart from other popular communication tools such as WhatsApp.
BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7 AM EDT (4:30 PM IST) 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.
At launch, the BBM Video calling and BBM Voice calling features will not be available on BBM's Android and iPhone apps but BlackBerry says these are are planned for availability in a future version.
BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers on BlackBerry alone and this figure is expected to multiply with the popular messaging app becoming available on the two most popular mobile platforms.
BlackBerry had first announced its Android and iOS plans for BBM on May 14 during the launch of its Q5 smartphone.
BlackBerry also introduced its first foray into the phablet segment with the 5-inch BlackBerry Z30 smartphone on Wednesday.
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