If you didn’t think BBM’s initial popularity on iOS and Android was going to last, new numbers from the Canadian company would appear to prove otherwise. Blackberry’s BBM messaging service, released on iOS and Android in October, now has 40 million registered users according to BlackBerry.
“Over 40 million newly registered iOS/Android users in the last 60 days”
This news comes just a day after BBM competitor WhatsApp made the announcement that it had surpassed 400 million active users. It’s very likely that many of BBM’s 40 million registered users are now inactive or rarely use the application, but BlackBerry doesn’t break down how many of these users are active.
It was also recently revealed that LG would be preloading BBM onto its devices along with “more than a dozen others,” which could possibly give the BBM user count a little boost. BBM is still prominent in the world of enterprise — being used by USA Today, Coke Indonesia, and others who utilize the app due to the security provided by its more than 250 channels. It also continues to be one of the most popularly demanded features by Windows Phone users.
BBM Channels, BBM Voice, and “faster and easier sharing” coming to iOS and Android next year
Speaking of BBM Channels, BlackBerry also plans to further upgrade the software next year with some interesting features including BBM Voice, Channels, faster and easier sharing and more emoticons. BBM Voice will let users call their BBM contacts anywhere in the world free of charge; BBM Channels will allow users to discuss various topics with fellow BBMers that may or may not be in their contact list. The ability to share photos, voice notes and location content will also be “faster and easier.”
While BBM battles it out in the vastly crowded calling and messaging app space, its parent company continues to suffer financial woes. It’s not yet clear how BBM will be monetized, if it is at all, but with this many users at its disposal, it seems almost seems like a no-brainer for a company in BlackBerry’s situation.