Broadening the availability of its BBM instant messaging app to Android and iOS netted BlackBerry some 40 million Android and iOS users in the first 60 days that it was available. The company has already confirmed that it plans to enhance the app with BBM Voice and BBM Channels in a future release but a timeline has remained elusive until now. The Times of India today reported that BlackBerry will roll out both features in an update next month.
The new features have been undergoing beta testing since last month so it is not inconceivable that they will soon launch.
BBM Voice, which lets users talk with their BBM contacts over Wi-Fi, was first rolled out in 2012 with BlackBerry 7.
Other features that could make it into an upcoming update include improved sharing features including one that lets you share your location for a limited amount of time and some 100 new emoticons.
BlackBerry is also open to rolling out BBM to other platforms. “We’re constantly evaluating and hopefully at the right time we will be able to launch on newer platforms,” said Krishnadeep Baruah, a BlackBerry India executive. No timeline was given as to when such a move could happen though.
Source : The Times of India