BBM to be natively installed on Android handsets in emerging markets

Canadian handset maker Blackberry has announced that its messaging platform, BBM, will be installed natively on a variety of Android smartphones in emerging markets including Africa, India, Indonesia, Latin America and the Middle East.

The firm revealed plans in May to make the application available on iOS and Android platforms; in the first version of multi-platform BBM, iOS and Android users will get access to instant messaging; multi-person chat; voice note sharing; and BlackBerry Groups of up to 30 people able to share calendars, photos and files.

From December 2013, BBM will be preinstalled on Android smartphones from OEMs Be, Brightstar, Celkon, Evercoss, Imo, Micromax, Mito, Snexian, Spice, Tecno, TiPhone and Zen.

“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, EVP for BBM at BlackBerry.

Janto Djojo, CMO at Evercoss, said that 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,” he said Janto Djojo. “BBM is incredibly popular in Indonesia and since it’s availability on Android, it’s become the must have messaging app for our customers.”

Jason Liu, marketing director of Tecno Group, concurred that BBM is also popular in Africa and the handset maker said its customers will appreciate the ability to quickly access BBM on their devices and start connecting with friends and family.

“BBM is now a central component of our Android-based smartphone platform offering,” he said. “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.”