BlackBerry trumpeted its intention to deliver the long-awaited
Android and iOS versions of its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service this
weekend, and so fans around the world eagerly awaited the mobile
software’s debut. But debut the apps didn’t, at least not as intended
and not for the vast majority of expectant fans.
As of right now, BlackBerry’s BBM apps for iOS and Android are
nowhere to be seen, after the iOS version’s staged rollout of midnight
local time at each country around the world got put on hold somewhere
around India, and the Android version was a no-show altogether. The
Android BBM app was originally slated for a Saturday launch, but the iOS
version beat it out of the gate, and both got “paused” after a leaked
version of the official Android .apk decimated BlackBerry’s servers.
Late yesterday
BlackBerry was forced to put its rollout on hold, which it says is due to overwhelming demand.
“Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM
for Android app was posted online,” reads a statement from its official
blog. “The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1
million active users in the first eight hours without even launching
the official Android app – is incredible.”
After that original post, those waiting for the official apps had
nothing to go on for roughly 15 hours, followed by the most recent
official word on the situation via BBM’s verified Twitter account. The
most recent news is no news, however, with simply a restatement of its
message from earlier that the company is working hard to restore the
rollout.
I’ve been eager to get on board with either the Android or the iPhone
version, because it means I can finally talk to my father again after
so many years of silence. I’ll be able to BBM him for the two months
it’ll take for his new iPhone to ship to him, and then I can safely
delete the app again.
I asked my sister’s boyfriend, who just got an iPhone 5s, whether
he’s excited about being able to take his BBM network with him as he
switches. Here’s what he had to say:
I only have 3 people on BBM now. 2 are [your sister, work
and personal ] and the other is your dad. I used to have 30 BBM
contacts.
The launch of BBM for iPhone and Android, should it ever actually
happen, will be a nice escape raft for people still clinging to the
sinking ship, but that’s about it. The other ship BlackBerry is
conceivably aiming to float here, the one where it builds a competitive
cross-platform messaging platform to rival WhatsApp and others, has
already sailed long, long ago.