After months of waiting, BlackBerry Ltd finally launched its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) to users of smartphone devices including Android, Samsung and iPhone! This service provides a platform for previous BlackBerry users to reconnect with their long lost BBM buddies.

While BlackBerry used to be the dominant player in the smartphone industry, the rise of the iPhone and more affordable Android phones rapidly took over its position in the competitive market. Additionally, with the arrival of IM services like WhatsApp, Line, and WeChat that work across different devices, it seems like the world of BlackBerry is coming to an end. Nevertheless, BBM, which functions similarly to Apple’s iMessage remains popular to this day and now, the app is FREE to download. Although it is a good approach to raise brand awareness, will a customer purchase a BlackBerry device now if its only attraction, BBM is free to download on an iPhone?

Here is a short video about BBM re-appearing on multiple platforms.  BBM