BBM FOR ANDROID
In 2008, almost every one of my friends had a BlackBerry, and swore by BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the company’s lightning-fast messaging app. It wouldn’t be a stretch, in fact, to say that most of my friends bought a BlackBerry just to be able to use BBM. In combination with the world’s fastest hardware keyboard, BBM offered a new degree of speed and utility. Never before could we chat on mobile as quickly as we could IM on desktops.
Five years later, I can’t name a single friend who owns a BlackBerry. Their phones have all been replaced by iPhones and Androids, and maybe a couple Windows Phones here and there. BBM has been replaced by iMessage, WhatsApp, Kik Messenger, and Snapchat. The shift from BlackBerry to newer, more modern platforms is nearly complete. BBM languished as the apps it helped inspire thrived and gained hundreds of millions of users. Yet, BlackBerry just this week launched BBM for iPhone and Android — perhaps its last chance at capitalizing on the brand equity the company once commanded.
BBM IS, AT LEAST, STILL FAST
BlackBerry has wisely chosen to place the Send button in the bottom-right corner of the keyboard, so you can very quickly type a line, then fire it away. In most messaging apps like Kik or Google Hangouts, the Send button is located to the right of the text box — a small but important detail. One of the things that made BBM so fast was that the BlackBerry’s Return button, which was next to the space bar, also functioned as the Send button, and this remains the case. In the world of instant messaging, nobody has time for new paragraphs. There’s only time to type, and then send, and then type again. Details like these separate "messaging apps" like Kik from "IM apps." BBM sits firmly in the IM category, but far underneath the apps it inspired.
BLACKBERRY BUILT AN APP FOR 2008. WELCOME TO 2013.
The success or failure of any messaging app is predicated on one factor: whether your friends are using it. WhatsApp no long offers as many features as some of its competitors, but since 400 million people worldwide use WhatsApp, it’s the best solution. So how do you get people using one messaging app over another? Features. But even if BBM had mind-blowing messaging features (which it doesn’t), it would still need time to rebuild its user base. Years ago, BlackBerry built an app that users loved, loved so much that they bought BlackBerry phones just for BBM. Those days are long past, so BlackBerry has to compete on another playing field. The app is still new, but it currently offers nothing other than a name people know.
The app does work, and it works well, but compared to competitors who have had years to build their messaging communities, BBM offers almost no added value to potential users. If it ever hopes to compete with the likes of WhatsApp and others, BlackBerry would need to make BBM feel as modern, and as lightweight, and as forward-thinking as it once did. It will also need to be present on every platform your friends are using, from Symbian to Windows Phone to Android to iPhone. Because ultimately people care most about communicating with friends, and BBM as it exists today doesn’t even make that part easy.
If BlackBerry is correct in thinking that there are "BlackBerry people" out there, BBM for iPhone and Android will certainly appeal to them, if only for its nostalgic value. BlackBerry built an app for people stuck in the year 2008, and those people will love it. For everybody else, welcome to 2013.
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BBM update for Android, iOS brings new features, iPad and iPod touch support
BlackBerry has released an update for BBM for Android and iOS that brings bug fixes as well as new features to the BlackBerry Messenger client for both platforms. Additionally, the iOS version of BBM adds support for iPad and iPod touch (the app was iPhone-only on launch).
While the Android version gets support for BBM contact categories, as well as improved group list sorting and filtering, the iOS version now comes with better support for right-to-left languages. Both versions also bring bug fixes and new options for sharing your BBM PIN Barcode.
BlackBerry's popular instant messaging platform BlackBerry Messenger (or BBM) finally landed on non-BlackBerry OS platforms, Android and iOS, last month after the company was forced to pause and delay the rollout. The app was downloaded more than 10 million times on iOS and Android within the first 24 hours, bringing in over 20 million new users to the BlackBerry Messenger platform in the first week.
Here are the new features added to BBM for Android in the latest update:
- Support for BBM Contact Categories
- BBM Group List sorting and filtering improvements
- More options for sharing your BBM PIN Barcode
- Find your friends on other social networks who are also using BBM
- Addresses an issue where some users may have experienced higher battery use
List of changes in BBM for iOS:
- Support for iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS6 and iOS7
- Improvements to right-to-left language support
- More options for sharing your BBM PIN Barcode
- Find your friends on other social networks who are also using BBM
- Fixes an issue where some users would be missing BBM contact names
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