BBM For Android And iOS Hits App Stores

If you’ve been waiting patiently through Blackberry’s failed rollouts of the ever-gestating BBM messaging app for Android and iOS, you have our condolences, but more importantly, you might also finally have cause to exhale and celebrate.

Blackberry took to its official company blog earlier this week to announce that after a number of delays and aborted launches, the phased rollout of BBM for Android and iPhone would commence shortly.

“This is the news you’ve been waiting for! I am thrilled to tell you that we are about to officially resume our rollout of BBM for Android and iPhone customers around the globe!” wrote Andrew Bocking, executive vice president for BBM in the blog post.  

“The demand for BBM on Android and BBM on iPhone continues to be amazing… As you know, in just seven hours, about one million Android users were using the unreleased version of BBM for Android. What you don’t know is that more than one million people have found creative ways to “side load” BBM on their iPhone. This is incredible.”

Bocking is referring to the unauthorized version of BBM that leaked online in October and quickly garnered widespread reports of bugs and glitches. Within hours, around one million Android users had downloaded the faulty app and Blackberry quickly pulled it from app stores.

With an official BBM app launch apparently upon us once more, many are hoping that Blackberry has done its due diligence this time around and worked out the kinks from what can arguably be described as the company’s last product with any real value. Still, it might be a little while before folks are afforded the opportunity to check out the app on their own, as the operative word in this rollout is “phased.”

According to Blackberry, users can download both iOS and Android versions of the app right now, but it won’t function. Once the app is installed, you enter your email address “to hold your spot in line” and the company will email you as soon as you reach the front and can begin using the service. That is, unless you happen to be in Sub-Sahara Africa, where BBM is available only in the Samsung App store for Samsung devices; all others must wait another “three days’ time.”

Bocking has promised to update the blog with news of the rollout as it unfolds, so keep checking in for the latest details.