It feels like there is bad BlackBerry news almost every day now. BBM for Android was to have launched yesterday with the iPhone version to follow today. Instead, Android users found Google Play full of fake versions while iOS users saw it hit the App Store a day early. Shortly after, BlackBerry halted the rollout and pulled the iOS version.
BlackBerry provided an update late in the day explaining that an unreleased (read leaked) version of BBM for Android was the culprit for their decision. This unreleased version is causing unspecified issues and BlackBerry has been trying all day to rectify them but so far without success.
As a result, BlackBerry has decided to put the rollout on hold until they can get the issue resolved:
Our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM. We are pausing the global roll-out of BBM for Android and iPhone. Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visit www.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.
There is no word yet on when BlackBerry expects to resume the rollout. When it does resume, it will be a staggered country roll-out.
If there is a silver lining in this story, it’s that BlackBerry saw 1.1 million downloads in the 8 hours that BBM for iPhone was available. There is still quite a bit of interest in BlackBerry’s messaging platform despite its hardware troubles.
Note that BBM for BlackBerry is not affected and remains available.
Source : BlackBerry Insider