Is summer over yet? Not for BlackBerry, which said that it would bring its Messenger service to Android and iOS this summer and is finally releasing it this weekend. Android users will be able to download BBM on Saturday, September 21, while iOS users will have to hold on until Sunday. The app will be available on Android for versions 4.0 and up, and on Apple devices running either iOS 6 or the recently released iOS 7.
BBM will allow Android and iOS users to chat with BlackBerry users. The release comes shortly before BlackBerry’s report for its fiscal second quarter next week. The company had a fairly disastrous first quarter as demand for its BB10 smartphones failed to materialize and it is reviewing strategic options including the possible sale of the company. BBM remains one of BlackBerry’s few bright spots and the company is apparently even considering spinning it off as a separate business.
BlackBerry is struggling to compete with Android and iOS even as it opens BBM to them. The company unveiled its BlackBerry Z30 smartphone this week, though it has largely been overshadowed by Apple’s release of iOS 7 and the impending arrival of the latest iPhones. More bad news comes from a report in the Wall Street Journal, which states that BlackBerry may cut up to 40% of its workforce, about 5,000 employees.
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