Remember the days when Blackberry users (myself included) used to brag about the awesome messaging service called BBM? Now it seems that what used to be one of the key reasons for owning a Blackberry is going out the window – BBM will become available on iOS and Android, for free.
The growing popularity of messaging apps over the last few years like WhatsApp, Skype, Viber and Apple’s iMessage have attracted millions of users and replaced the need to own a Blackberry device with BBM.
Although BBM’s user base of 60million is trumped by WhatsApp’s 200million, Blackberry’s offering will undoubtedly tempt its former users and new ones. Benefits of using the platform will include control and privacy over who they add to their list, since it’ll require a two way opt-in using PINs, email, SMS or QR codes.
BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins states that a differentiator of the service is the fact that it’s free, although if you consider the fact that many people have already purchased WhatsApp, is there a real value in switching? Another argument against BBM on iOS and Android is that applications like WhatsApp use phone numbers already on the device.
All in all, it’s an interesting move from Blackberry and it’ll be even more interesting to see how widely it’s adopted in the iOS & Android world. BBM does have many perks but would you change your existing messaging app for it? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Featured Image courtesy of TechnoBuffalo
