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Five years late, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) rolling out for iPhone

BlackBerry just announced another disaster quarter and is currently valued at under the value of its assets, yet despite public pleading, no one wants to buy them. They also just laid off 4,500 of their remaining employees and left the consumer market.

But we’re not here to talk about the horrific financials of an imploding company. We’re here to bring the news that Blackberry released BBM (a very capable IM client) for iOS and Android today. It is currently available in Eastern hemisphere countries and is making its way around the globe.

In 2008, this would have been bigger news. Now, you can use it to ask your remaining BlackBerry friends which color iPhone they will be getting.

Update: It looks like the app has disappeared from the stores it has already hit. 

Update 2: Here’s why:

Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM for Android app was posted online. The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours without even launching the official Android app – is incredible. Consequently, this unreleased version caused issues, which we have attempted to address throughout the day.

Our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM. We are pausing the global roll-out of BBM for Android and iPhone. Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visitwww.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.

As soon as we are able, we will begin a staggered country roll-out of BBM for Android and continue the roll-out of BBM for iPhone. Please follow @BBM on Twitter for the latest updates and go to www.BBM.com to sign-up for updates about BBM for Android and iPhone. These issues have not impacted BBM service for BlackBerry.

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Comments

  1. Duston Foster - 11 years ago

    If they released this 3-5 years ago priced at $9.99 they would of made a boat load of cash! Oh and “Public public pleading” ?

  2. Not available in the US yet :/

  3. Dimitri Kyriakis - 11 years ago

    ” Now, you can use it to ask your remaining BlackBerry friends which color iPhone they will be getting. ”

    That is pretty low end on your end is it not? Not everyone needs a iPhone you know. It sucks when you have fanboys saying stupidity like this. Reminds me of the same shit Android fan boys do. Not a Blackberry fan boy but that was a low ball from your end sir.

    Anyways happy to see it came out. I can see a lot of people using it / trying it out.

    • 311sie - 11 years ago

      No… no… It was actually pretty funny.

      • Kwame Owusu (@kwamayze) - 11 years ago

        Yep! same here. I think it was really really funny. I tweeted the link cuz of the way he kept repeating it

    • Lee Palisoc - 11 years ago

      Don’t take it seriously dude. It’s pretty funny.

      • Dimitri Kyriakis - 11 years ago

        It does sound funny BUT many will also take it that they are saying it as serious (As this is a Apple based site)

    • akismet-e164e54d12450fe24368609a92436c87 - 11 years ago

      I think you’re missing that it’s a joke and we happen to be on 9to5mac, not 9to5smartphones. The joke is that other phones are more relevant in today’s times, and of course a site focused on Apple is going to use an iPhone for the joke.

    • Seth Weintraub - 11 years ago

      Was trying to be funny….

      In reality no one has friends with BlackBerry anymore

      • Dimitri Kyriakis - 11 years ago

        Really now? How would you know Seth? come down to Toronto, Canada & see how many people still have BB’s. Go check out New York as well. Go check Vancouver. Before you make your self ” claims” Get your facts straight.

        Blackberry is losing customers BUT your just being a idiot by saying ” No one has friends with Blackberry anymore”.

      • Eduardo VK (@EduarVK) - 11 years ago

        You are right Seth, not one of my friends from the US, Japan or Latin America uses BlackBerry anymore.

        “Now, you can use it to ask your remaining BlackBerry friends which color iPhone they will be getting.” Pretty fun way of closing the article by the way.

      • Claus Von Claussen - 11 years ago

        None of my friends have Blackberrys anymore, when most of them used to a few years back … Only companies still use BBs cause they dont want to spend $ … yet. When upgrade time comes, anyone disagrees the corporate world will change sides?

      • Lighten up Dimitri! It was funny FFS!

      • I have exactly 1 (one) friend left who uses a Blackberry, and just yesterday he sends me this text; “Would someone like me need an iPhone?” True story.

      • Manish Rana (@ranasjsu) - 11 years ago

        @Damitri : It sounds like you are crying man. Get a hold of yourself. This is the reality.

    • aaronruggiere - 11 years ago

      #Worthless

    • pbranham - 11 years ago

      Nope, sorry, but that was a hilarious jab at the reality of things. I don’t know a single person from my circle of friends, colleagues, and casual acquaintances who has a Blackberry anymore. The last time I personally saw someone use one was in 2010, and that was when I had a summer job working for a company that provided them for the technicians because they were dirt cheap.

    • Luis Lopes - 11 years ago

      About that “low ball” commentary. Do you really think there is space for felling sorry when such a big company as BB goes down because they repeatedly made the wrong choice?

      BB10 is a great OS. Unfortunately they were 5 years late , so when they finnally realized what people want, they simply couldnt find buyers and software suppliers left for they products (guess what, they all went to Android and iOS to fulfill their needs)

      So Blackberry is the perfect example of what shouldnt be done! They didnt understand the market and that was a fatal error. Nokia, Microsoft, even Apple on 1997, they all made de same error but they all had luck of being able to fix it before its too late.

      Remember Kodak?! Once it was the first company to sell a digital camera (years after went down because of ….”digital cameras”)

    • Armando McGillacuddy - 11 years ago

      Cry on the internet much?

  4. Stef Tedja - 11 years ago

    already in app store Indonesia, name app BBM

  5. rettun1 - 11 years ago

    Yeah this article seemed very critical. “But we’re not here to talk about the horrific financials of an imploding company.” Damn…

    • akismet-e164e54d12450fe24368609a92436c87 - 11 years ago

      Is it not true? They didn’t stay competitive when they needed to.

  6. George Magdaleno - 11 years ago

    The last BBM to the last Blackberry will be made on an iPhone.

  7. grandstyl - 11 years ago

    Reblogged this on grandstyl's Blog.

  8. Oh wow. Is this article serious? I don’t suppose you’ve even used the BB Z10?

  9. Sanjay Kumar Negi - 11 years ago

    And now BBM is launching but still not available on android devices.

  10. Victor Ikenna Enogwe - 11 years ago

    Now we finally got hold of the app for you iPhone users http://www.loadedvilla.com/download-setup-bbm-iphone/

  11. Deepak Raghav - 10 years ago

    It’s a great news for all iPhone users but when it going to be released worldwide.

  12. arvindsinghpunjab - 10 years ago

    It happened good but too late. But finally got a good news.

  13. It has become great news for iphone users and I will inform my friends by sharing the post.Thanks for sharing the news.

  14. iPostBit (@iPostBit) - 10 years ago

    Another industry coming in picture before the world, what black berry is doing would set market for young enterprenur to start their own business of innovation in mobile services above app,s.
    ~ http://www.ipostbit.com