While it is no secret that the release of the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service for iOS and Android is set to debut this end of summer, an overzealous BlackBerry personnel has prematurely released user guides for BBM iOS and Android online.
BBM has long been the multi-talented, secure communications service exclusive to the BlackBerry platform – its crown jewels. In view of the rapid growth of third-party cross-platform communication services like WhatsApp, WeChat, Line and KakaoTalk, BlackBerry has been forced to re-strategise the BBM platform.
BBM for iOS and Android is expected to have the same capabilities of its original BlackBerry OS-based sibling allowing users to send text messages, location, photos and voice messages and create and participate in group chats (up to 30 people).
Could it have been a cheap publicity stunt or controlled ‘leak’, or a genuine error? From the files we’ve downloaded and viewed from TechCrunch (files on BlackBerry have been removed), they look genuine.
Real or fake, is opening up BBM to other platforms a case of being a little too late for the Canadian phone maker? BBM currently has over 61 million user globally sending over 10 billion messages a day. BBM enjoys a highly active user base.
Grab the user guides from before it’s too late:
Source: MacTrast
