Blackberry Messenger (BBM) app will be offered as a download
to run on the Android and iOS, the company announced on Tuesday.
Blackberry said initially the text, picture messages and
group sharing functions will be offered on Google-based and Apple-based iOS
operating systems from this summer. The company added that voice, video calls
and screen sharing have also been planned that will be totally free of charge.
The surprise news will be confirmed during the company’s
annual developers’ conference in Orlando, Florida, Blackberry chief executive
Thorsten Heins said. The move is considered disrupting for Whatsapp, Skype and
the other players in market.
But Mr. Heins talks down the idea that offering BBM, which
the Canadian company said over 60 million Blackberry users access at least once
a month, to the rival devices will leave a negative impact over the sales of
its own handsets.
Heins said that for the app to work on Android the users
would need Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google’s software and iPhone users
need at least iOS 6.
Blackberry had launched BBM as a simple instant messaging
tool and a free alternative to SMS texts for its handsets but over the years
its potential has been extended beyond messaging and it now features several
other functions like audio messages, picture messaging photo sharing, and voice
and video calls.
The most recent addition in the application is Channels, a
feature that allows the users to receive status updates and news from the
celebrities and brands they are following on it. The Canadian company has an
opportunity to vanquish its open cross-platform rivals by assembling all the
features to Android and iOS devices.
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