Tag: BBM apps

Apps demand for BBM is “incredible”

The BlackBerry’s messenger service has proven itself to be tremendously popular.

BlackBerry is finally enjoying some time in the spotlight for a positive reason, which is connected to the popularity of the release of its BBM apps for Android and iOS device users.

The messenger service was recently released for those two operating systems and is being downloaded by the millions.

The BlackBerry devices may not have been selling at the rate that they had hoped, but its messenger apps are a huge hit among Apple and Android smartphone owners. According to the company’s own data, there had already been more than 10 million downloads of the BlackBerry Messenger service within the first 24 hours of its initial release to users of devices that were not from that manufacturer.

BlackBerry said that its apps are now processing approximately 500,000 new users every hour.

Blackberry BBM AppsJeff Gadway, a spokesperson for BlackBerry, said that “We have absolutely incredible demand we’re trying to manage.” He added that “We’re off to a really good start.” This hype and popularity for the apps is very welcome news for the Canadian company, which has been fighting a losing battle with its competitors in the smartphone marketplace and has put itself up for sale.

These new millions of users of the apps are in addition to the 60 million BlackBerry users who are already using the BBM service. That said, it is not yet clear how the manufacturer will actually generate any money from this popular new service. The application, itself, is free, and there is competition within the instant messaging sphere, to the point that BBM is not currently the leader.

Among the BBM apps, the one designed specifically for BlackBerry users was the very first instant messenger created specifically for smartphones, and it rapidly became exceptionally popular in the last half of the first decade of the 2000s. It provides users the ability to keep their identities secure through a unique and protected anonymous code, and to know when their messages had been delivered to the recipients, and when they had been opened. Now, despite a large number of alternatives, other device users are beginning to enjoy this same benefit.

Apps from BlackBerry announced for other operating systems

The greatly struggling smartphone manufacturer has now unveiled its BBM for iPhone and Android users.

As the company had been indicating for some time, BlackBerry has now announced that its dedicated BBM messenger service apps are now available to Android and iPhone users very soon.

The BlackBerry Messenger service have now become available for sale on the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

This means that the apps for BlackBerry Messenger will no longer be exclusively available to users of the devices from that manufacturer. They are now available for free for the devices based on the operating systems of the leaders of the smartphone market, Android and iOS.

These free apps becoming available for Android and iPhone are only one of many recent announcements from the company.

Apps - Blackberry messenger app for other operating systemsThe unveiling of the apps for other smartphones came directly after the company launched yet another smartphone device into the marketplace. It also revealed that it would be laying off 4,500 employees, as the company flounders in losses from a lack of sales.

These messenger apps allow smartphone users to be able to share information and chat with up to 30 different users within a single conversation. It also uses a unique PIN to ensure that the users’ privacy will remain secure. That number is not just a password for signing into the program. Instead, it can be used to boost security when deciding whether or not contact information and other data should be shared with the other people who are involved within the conversations.

As BlackBerry takes these steps into the iOS and Android marketplaces, it is leading many people to speculate with regards to whether or not this is a last ditch effort from the company to attempt to compete in yet another marketplace. The messenger service apps market is already swamped with competition, with leaders that have already established themselves, including WeChat, WhatsApp, and Line.

The BBM apps became available to Android smartphones over Google Play download as of September 21, and iPhone users started downloading from the App Store starting on September 22. The number of downloaders and users has yet to be seen.