BlackBerry Launches Redesigned BBM for Windows Phone

1

 

 

A first release of BBM for Windows Phone is now available for download, BlackBerry announced July 31. The version, which follows a limited Beta release, is compatible with devices running Windows Phone 8 and 8.1.

BBM for Windows Phone was designed to be consistent with Microsoft’s mobile design, reflecting a change in thinking at the updated BlackBerry.

A longtime favorite of BlackBerry users, the messaging app includes all the expected features—the ability to chat with up to 50 contacts at once, and to share photo albums, voice notes, location information, contacts and more within a chat. Plus, BlackBerry has promised to quickly add new features, such as “stickers, BBM Voice, BBM Channels” and Glympse location sharing, in the months ahead, Jeff Gadway, BlackBerry’s head of brand marketing, said in a blog post.

But the app’s most notable feature may be its appearance, which is very in line with the Windows Phone aesthetic.

“When BBM first came to market, there was thought to be a value in making it look the same across all platforms,” John Sims, BlackBerry’s head of enterprise, said at a BlackBerry Security Summit in New York July 29.

“The thinking is different,” Sims, among the new leadership team now at BlackBerry, continued. “You can expect to see that manifest in iOS and Android BBM apps as well.”

Editor’s Picks  Revamp Naira to avoid building collapse, experts tell FG

Gadway, in a video, further explained, “We’ve really tried to pick up on the clean, modern, really responsive design and user experience that you find across the whole Windows platform.”

BBM for Windows Phone features three screens that users can swipe between from right to left: Chats, Feeds and Contacts. Chats shows all previous conversations and is where new Chats can be initiated; on the Contacts page, contacts are visible and can be searched for; and in Feeds, users can see what’s going on with their Contacts and update their own statuses and photos.