BBM Update Adds Free Voice Calls

A rumor suggesting the Pentagon had placed a massive order for new BlackBerries briefly sent the company’s stock surging in late January until it was revealed the reports were totally untrue. There was to be no salvation from total oblivion, no renewed government money. And so, BlackBerry resumed its quest to conquer the world with the BBM app.

On Friday, BBM 2.0 for Android went live, adding a slew of new features including free voice calls between BBM contacts. Now, you can use BBM Voice to call other mobile subscribers if you’re running low on minutes and don’t have a real VoIP app installed, as long as whoever you’re trying to reach has BBM too (they don’t).

"BBM continues to deliver new functionality as a premier messaging platform that provides a simple and effective way to stay connected. Today's announcement gives Android and iPhone customers the rich experience of BBM Voice and BBM Channels - two great ways to connect with friends, family and colleagues, to build out communities around shared interests, and to follow your favorite people and brands," said John Sims, president, global enterprise solutions at BlackBerry in a press statement. "BBM continues to quickly evolve as a social mobile platform for consumers as well as for business customers through innovative features that give you great new ways to connect and share with each other."

Version 2.0 also adds a feature called BBM Channels that’s like a cross between a chat room and community message board. Channels are created by a user or company to host a permanent conversation dedicated to a product or topic. The feature allows businesses to market directly to “a highly engaged and targeted mobile audience,” and consumers can use it to troll each other.

The update delivers Dropbox support as well, and with the addition of location sharing and emoticons, BBM could well be the most robust mobile social platform ever created for almost nobody. While it’s been downloaded by tens of millions, the number of active users remains unclear and anecdotal evidence suggests people who install the app are more likely to delete it.

Still, BBM is growing into a unique social networking platform that could arguably have a disruptive impact if it’s able to find traction with users. That’s obviously been the hard part so far and the recent departure of BBM’s chief exec doesn’t really bode well. With Channels, BBM has a clearer path to monetization, but the platform’s value proposition to consumers is murky—a recurring theme for the company.