BlackBerry is exploring alternatives to make working on BBM, its messaging platform, “more convenient and fun” to support users after rival WhatsApp announced to stop its support to Canadian firm’s operating system from later this year.
BlackBerry is exploring alternatives to make working on BBM, its messaging platform, “more convenient and fun” to support users after rival WhatsApp announced to stop its support to Canadian firm’s operating system from later this year.
“BlackBerry is committed to our BlackBerry 10 operating system, and we work closely with developers to create and deploy solutions to bring apps to our consumer and enterprise fans. We continue to invest in the BlackBerry 10 platform and will introduce several key security updates this year,” BlackBerry said in a statement.
It added that while the app landscape continues to evolve, company’s commitment to BlackBerry10 and its developers is unwavering. “We are actively exploring alternatives for BlackBerry users once support of WhatsApp Messenger for BBOS and BlackBerry 10 ends in late 2016. Users of BlackBerry PRIV, which runs on Android, will not be impacted,” the statement said.
Further in its blog, Blackberry said that the company is building more features into BBM to make it fun and secured, more focus is on the security, as per the blog.
“We’ve been on a roll lately with updates to BBM, launching three since last September. We’re evolving group and multi-person chats. We’re making BBM Protected an even better messaging solution for security-conscious organizations. We’re giving you ever more privacy and security by allowing you to control previews. We’re also working to make BBM more convenient and more fun,” the company wrote in a blog.
Screenshot notification within private chats
The recent features of BBM fall under this umbrella.In September, the company rolled out screenshot notification within private chats, which alert you if a BBM contact takes a screenshot of your conversation.
Retract photos within chats on all platforms
Then in December Blackberry added the option to delete messages from your device only, without others’ knowledge, on Android and iOS. For those of you with our Privacy and Control subscription, we also added the ability to retract photos within chats on all platforms, and entire chat sessions on Android and iOS.
In January, Blackberry gave you the ability to control notification previews for Android. “Look for more of these types of features in the coming months,” it said in the blogpost.
Messaging secure governments and other regulated industries
Blackberry also released several important enhancements to BBM Protected service that makes messaging secure enough for governments and other regulated industries. Those include:
High-priority messages: You can now tag high-priority messages within a chat
Team chats: You can define a chat subject and invite team members to join
Delivered and read notifications: Multi-person chats now show these status notifications
Restricted copy and paste: IT admins can prevent employees from copying and pasting within BBM chats
More Control for Group and Multi-Person Chats
Messaging can be such a great way to share information and get to decisions quickly, whether among a group of friends or colleagues. “We’re continuing to add all the features you love in 1:1 chats to multi-person and group chats on Android and iOS, including message retraction and editing,” Blackberry said in the blog.
Useful integration, payment platforms to BBM and more
BBM is also looking at integration with other technology and simply adding features that make it easier to do what you want quickly. In the useful services category, Blackberry has added a number of payment platforms to BBM within the last year, including BBM Money in Indonesia; Interswitch Ltd in Nigeria; PayPal payments in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the US; and Pingit in the UK.
It also made it easier for you to find your BBM contacts by being able to request a Glympse within a 1:1 chat. As for integration with other technology, September brought Apple Watch support. You can view, respond to and send BBM messages from your Apple Watch. Then in December, Blackberry added iPhone 6s 3D touch support, allowing you to use a firm press on the BBM icon to quickly send a message, update your status or profile picture, or initiate a search from the home screen.
Other streamlining features for Android users include the ability to send a broadcast message to an entire contact category (previously available on iOS and BlackBerry 10 only; also added in December), and the ability to scroll through group picture galleries, added in January.
Just for Fun-Like and comment
In September, Blackberry launched Sticker Club, which gives subscribers access to hundreds of sticker packs. We also extended the option to customize the order of sticker packs for those of you on Android. (It was already available on iOS and BlackBerry 10.) Also for Android users, we now enable you to customize the font within BBM.
Blackberry also added two new social features. The ability to view, like and comment on group pictures and other events within Feeds launched in September. And the option to like Feeds posts came in December, allowing you to see a “thumbs up” icon next to your contacts’ posts. If you like a post, your contact receives a notification, also within Feeds (currently only on Android and iOS).
