BBM for Windows Phone arrives next week, sees 10,000 testers within 24 hours

Hammad Saleem

BBM

BBM has seen its fair share of success after it was released for Android and iOS last year — going cross-platform may be the best decision the Canadian company has made in a long time. As always, Windows Phone was ignored last year when BBM made an appearance in the app stores, but not anymore.

Blackberry commenced the beta for BBM earlier this month, testing the app with a limited number of users. How many? Well, in a recent post on the Inside Blackberry blog, Blackberry’s Mathew Talbot mentioned that 10,000 beta testers signed up during the first 24 hours. This shows that it still has the demand on Windows Phone as well.

“Next up is BBM for Windows Phone, coming next week. When we announced the private beta a few weeks ago, all 10,000 testing slots were taken within 24 hours. The excitement is there. The numbers are there. The momentum is there,” says Matthew Talbot, Senior VP of Emerging Solutions at Blackberry.

As for its launch date, Talbot mentioned that the app would be arriving next week, which should come as a good news for all BBM fans using Windows Phone devices. 

BBM give users a simple way to get in touch with their friends over the internet. However, at launch, BBM for Windows Phone may not offer all the features which are present on other platforms. Users will be able to IM other people, create groups, send photos or videos, and more.

But, some of the features like BBM Voice, Channels, etc., won’t be available. “In the coming months, we’ll add more great BBM features, including stickers, BBM Voice, Channels and location sharing,” says Talbot.

Will you give BBM a try? Or you’re happy with WhatsApp or any other IM app you’re using on your Windows Phone handset?