Messaging service from BlackBerry to be preinstalled on Android devices from top OEMs
Blackberry's BBM will soon come preinstalled on a variety of Android-based smartphones from OEMs across Africa, India, Indonesia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Beginning next month, Android smartphones from Be, Brightstar, Celkon, Evercoss, IMO, Micromax, Mito, Snexian, Spice, Tecno, TiPhone and Zen will include BBM preinstalled.
In addition, BlackBerry confirmed that BBM will also continue to be available as a free download from Android app stores, including Google Play.
'It is clear that smartphone customers see BBM as a must have app for active conversations. The uptake we have seen for BBM since the launch on Android and iPhone is amazing,' said Andrew Bocking, executive vice president for BBM at BlackBerry. 'We're thrilled to be working with leading Android smartphone manufacturers from across the globe to help bring their customers the best out-of-the-box experience with BBM preinstalled.'
BBM gives customers privacy, control and immediacy as they chat with their contacts, either one to one, in multiple chats or as part of a BBM Group. BBM's Delivered and Read statuses, as well as message-in-progress notices, keep people engaged and active in their conversations.
Said Janto Djojo, chief marketing officer at Evercoss: 'Mobile messaging is a top priority for Indonesian mobile users and BBM has long been the premium messaging brand. Mobile users want their conversations to be immediate, private and reliable, which makes BBM a great fit for our devices. BBM is incredibly popular in Indonesia and since it's availability on Android, it's become the must have messaging app for our customers. We are therefore thrilled to be working with the BBM team at BlackBerry to preinstall BBM on our devices, making it easier than ever for our customers to get connected to BBM contacts and start chatting.'
Added Jason Liu, marketing director at Tecno Group: 'BBM is extremely popular in Africa and we know our customers will appreciate the ability to quickly access BBM on their Tecno devices and start connecting with friends and family. BBM is now a central component of our Android-based smartphone platform offering. We are pleased to announce that we're working with the BBM team at BlackBerry to install BBM on the Android smartphones we bring to market.'
The BBM experience will continue to evolve for Android and iPhone users in the coming months, with updates that will include support for BBM Channels, a new service that will connect BBM users to communities of shared interests in a very engaging and intimate manner, as well as support for BBM Voice calling and BBM Video calling.
