BlackBerry are expected unveil BBM for Android and iOS this week.
Back in May, BlackBerry announced that they'd be releasing BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) on the Google Android and Apple iOS platforms. The instant messaging application has been in testing since August and could be released as early as tomorrow.
BlackBerry have scheduled a new press event on September 18th where they are expected to announce the release of BBM on Android and iOS devices, alongside the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone. If that does prove to be the case then the application is likely to be available to download directly after the announcement.
We're not sure which versions of Android and iOS will support the BBM application, but those with devices running Android Jelly Bean and iOS 6 can be pretty confident that they'll be able to install BBM. Previous rumours hinted that the Android version of BBM may be exclusive to Samsung devices, but BlackBerry have now confirmed that isn't the case.
BlackBerry Messenger has always been one of the major selling points of BlackBerry smartphones, so it's a risk to release it for other platforms. BlackBerry's market share has dropped significantly in recent times and therefore have to try things to reverse their fortunes , which has also included putting the company up for sale.
Will BBM prove a success on Android and iOS ?
Well, it's a competitive marketplace with a number of cross-platform instant-messaging clients already available including Facebook Messenger, Skype , Viber and many more. BlackBerry are hoping that the release of BBM on the platforms highlights the strength of their software and smartphones to a new crowd.
