BBM availability for Android and iPhone

Previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will now be available as a free download in Google Play and the App StoreSM.

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7AM EDT on September 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22.

BBM for Android and iPhone features:

Enjoy real, immediate conversations with friends on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones.

You can share files on your phone such as photos and voice notes, all in an instant.

BBM Groups lets you invite up to 30 friends to chat together, and go a step further than multi-chat by sharing photos and schedules. And, with Broadcast Message, you can send a message out to all your BBM contacts at once.

BBM lets you post a personal message, profile picture and your current status, and lets your contacts know instantly in Updates.

Every BBM user has a unique PIN that maintains your privacy, so you don't have to give out your phone number or email address to a new or casual contact.

BBM will continue to evolve quickly. Later this year, BBM Channels will provide a forum for active, real conversations between you and the people, brands, celebrities, artists, service providers, communities and more, that matter to you.

In addition, BBM Video calling and BBM Voice calling are planned for availability for Android and iPhone in a future version.