BlackBerry Messenger for iOS and Android: Delayed

• By David Murphy
• September 22, 2013 01:50pm EST
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If you circled this weekend on your calendar and have been waiting with a Santa Claus-like interest for BlackBerry to release its BlackBerry Messenger app for Android and iOS, we have good and bad news for you.

First, the good news: Leaked versions of the Android and iOS apps have already made their way online, so a little sleuthing should allow you to grab and install the apps on your particular devices.

And now, the bad news: That leak prompted BlackBerry to officially disabled the Android version of the app for the time being, and has delayed the official release of both apps — in case you'd rather have them straight from the source — for an unspecified amount of time.

"The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours without even launching the official Android app – is incredible. Consequently, this unreleased version caused issues, which we have attempted to address throughout the day," reads a blog post on BlackBerry's website.

BlackBerry goes on to suggest that interested Android users should sign up at bbm.com if they want to receive updates about the Android version of BlackBerry Messenger. As to when that might actually be, BlackBerry is a bit mum. The company indicates that it will ultimately launch the iOS and Android apps via a staggered, worldwide rollout, but it hasn't given any possible timeline, save for saying that it hopes to get to apps out "as soon as we are able."

Of course, it didn't help the situation at all that Google Play has seen a bombardment of fake "BBM" apps as of late. Clearly, spammers — or worse — have been attempting to use the app launch as a means for convincing people to download fake apps. In a number of cases, they aren't even bothering to write convincing text within the app's description. As Android Central reported yesterday, here's one example of what spammers might write about their fake apps:

"minion rush plants vs zombies Grand Theft Auto Vice City Marvel Avengers Alliance Minecraft Free and Full Papa Pear Saga Angry Birds Seasons Angry Birds Rio Fruit Ninja Free Angry Birds YouTube Adobe Flash Player 11 Gmail Street"

In other words, it's a blatant attempt to keyword stuff one's way to popularity. Google appears to have cleaned up its app store and kicked out most of the spammy apps, but a quick search for "BBM" highlights a few that remain. Spoiler: It's unlikely that the company "BBM for Android FREE" will be the one officially launching BlackBerry Messenger versus, say, BlackBerry itself.

BBM Launching on Android, iOS This Weekend

• By Angela Moscaritolo
• September 18, 2013 04:05pm EST

Those eagerly awaiting the release of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for iOS and Android have just a few more days to wait.

BlackBerry on Wednesday announced that its so-called "mobile social network," previously only available for BlackBerry smartphones, will begin rolling out for Android and iPhone users around the world on Sept. 21. Once it launches, BBM will be available as a free download on Google Play and via the App Store.

"With more than a billion Android, iOS, and BlackBerry smartphones in the market, and no dominant mobile messaging platform, this is absolutely the right time to bring BBM to Android and iPhone customers," Andrew Bocking, executive vice president for BBM at BlackBerry, said in a statement.

The app will let users chat with friends on Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry. Users will be able to see that their message has been delivered, and also see when their friend is responding to a message. In addition, users will be able to share files, voice notes, and schedules right though the app. There's also support for up to 30-person group chats and a feature known as broadcast message for blasting all your BBM contacts at once.

Each BBM user is given a unique PIN, so they don't have to give out their phone number or email address to new contacts. The app also lets users post personal messages, a profile photo, and status updates.

"BBM will continue to evolve quickly," BlackBerry said in a statement. "Later this year, BBM Channels will provide a forum for active, real conversations between you and the people, brands, celebrities, artists, service providers, communities and more, that matter to you."

In addition, BlackBerry is also planning to add video and voice- calling features for Android and iPhone in future versions.

At this point, BBM has more than 60 million monthly active users on BlackBerry alone. Users collectively send and receive more than 10 billion BBM messages each day, and most spend an average of 90 minutes per day using the app.

The app will be available for Android devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean on Sept. 21 and iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 on Sept. 22. In addition to finding it in the App Store and Google Play, users will be able to download BBM by visiting BBM.com from their smartphone browser.

Meanwhile, word spread last month that BlackBerry is looking to spin off BBM into a separate business that would compete with the likes of Viber and WhatsApp. That rumor came about two weeks after BlackBerry announced the hiring of a special committee to explore "strategic alternatives" that range from partnerships to a complete sale of the company.

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, the troubled phone maker is now gearing up to cut up to 40 percent of its employees. The layoffs will reportedly affect all departments, totaling several thousand employees.  

When asked about the WSJ report, a BlackBerry spokesperson said the company doesnt not comment on rumors or speculation.

"As previously stated, we are in the second phase of our transformation plan," the spokesperson said in an email. "Organizational moves will continue to occur to ensure we have the right people in the right roles to drive new opportunities in mobile computing."