BlackBerry bringing BBM to Android and iOS this summer

BlackBerry has just announced that its
hugely popular BBM messaging service is
going multi-platform: it will be released
for Android and iOS as a free app this
summer . BBM will support iOS hardware
running iOS 6 and above; the Android
version will be compatible with version
4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above.
"It's time to bring BBM to a greater
audience," CEO Thorsten Heins said in
announcing the expansion, "no matter
what mobile device they carry."
Though it's long been considered one of
BlackBerry's strongest exclusive offerings,
Heins said that his company aims to
deliver a "fully featured" BBM experience
on rival smartphone operating systems.
"We're starting with messaging and
groups, but we'll bring voice, screen
share, and of course , channels later on,"
he said.
"BlackBerry's killer app won't be an
exclusive anymore"
"Why are we doing this now? It's a
statement of confidence," Heins went on.
He said that BlackBerry 10's prospects are
"so strong that we are confident that
BBM can become an independent
messaging solution." In a press release,
BlackBerry notes that BBM's successful
move to iOS and Android depends upon
the approval of Apple and Google.
Assuming things go according to plan,
BBM will face no shortage of competition
from WhatsApp and other messaging apps
that already enjoy enormous success
across mobile platforms. - TheVerge