BBM for Android and iOS available this weekend…

BBM will begin rolling out for Android and iPhone customers around the world this weekend, with a launch date of September 21.

Previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones, BBM will be available as a free download in Google Play and the App StoreSM.

“BBM is a very engaging messaging service that is simple to use, easy to personalise and has an immediacy that is necessary for mobile communications,” said Andrew Bocking, BBM executive VP, BlackBerry.

“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.”

BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers on BlackBerry, with the new service now capable of capturing the wider market.

BBM for Android and iPhone features:

• BBM Chat – Enjoy real, immediate conversations with friends on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones. Not only does BBM let you know that your message has been delivered and read, it also shows you that your friend is responding to the message.

• More than chat – With BBM you can share files on your phone such as photos and voice notes, all in an instant.

• Keep your group in the loop – Multi-person chats are a great way to invite contacts to chat together. BBM Groups lets you invite up to 30 friends to chat together, and go a step further than multi-chat by sharing photos and schedules. And, with Broadcast Message, you can send a message out to all your BBM contacts at once.

• Post Updates and stay in the know – BBM lets you post a personal message, profile picture and your current status, and lets your contacts know instantly in Updates.

• Your unique PIN – Every BBM user has a unique PIN that maintains your privacy, so you don’t have to give out your phone number or email address to a new or casual contact.

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7AM EDT on September 21.

BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22.

For more information, or to download BBM for Android or iPhone, visit www.BBM.com.