BlackBerry might have pioneered the smartphone industry, but the iPhone and Android-based devices have since captured the market and left the Canadian company in the dust. Looking to remain relevant with modern smartphone users, the company ultimately caved in and released its popular messaging app BBM for Android and iOS. Today, users checking the Play Store will find a major new update for the app in their queue.
BlackBerry has updated BBM with support for Android Lollipop and added several new features to the cross-platform messaging service, including landscape mode, sending stickers in group chats, read receipts for sent pictures, ability to view timed pictures and messages multiple times, a new 60 second timer option for timed pictures and messages and the option to add a photo or attachment from an SD card.
BBM was once exclusive to and a major selling point for BlackBerry devices, although its expansion to other platforms was a necessary move for BlackBerry as it continues to struggle with fading into irrelevance. BlackBerry as a whole accounted for just 2.3% of smartphone subscribers in the United States for a three-month period ending August, but BBM has steadily grown and recently eclipsed 91 million monthly active users.
The update should be rolling out on the Play Store now. The full changelog:
- Support for Android 5.0 Lollipop
- Send stickers in group chats!
- See when a contact has received and viewed your sent pictures.
- Timed pictures and messages can now be viewed multiple times until the timer expires
- Added a new 60 second timer option
- Landscape mode
- Add a photo or attachment from your SD card
BBM is free on the Play Store for Android.
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