{"id":57473,"date":"2013-12-29T10:00:56","date_gmt":"2013-12-29T08:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=57473"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:57:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:57:46","slug":"why-you-should-and-shouldnt-download-bbm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/why-you-should-and-shouldnt-download-bbm\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you should (and shouldn’t) download BBM"},"content":{"rendered":"

BlackBerry Messenger<\/a> has been downloaded by millions of people<\/a> since its multi-platform launch,\u00a0but the 64 million dollar question everyone’s been asking, is where or not it’s worth switching from WhatsApp<\/a>,\u00a0LINE<\/a> or the myriad of other messaging services that have popped up since BBM started the trend in 2006? We’ll give you the good and\u00a0bad<\/strong> of BBM so that you can decide for yourself.<\/p>\n

BlackBerry Messenger in\u00a030 seconds<\/h3>\n

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)<\/a>, the instant messaging app originally made for\u00a0RIM’s\u00a0BlackBerry phones, including the new BB10, <\/strong>now has\u00a0more than 70 million active users.\u00a0With the huge shift\u00a0to Android<\/a> and iOS<\/a> devices, BBM is hoping to expand its user base<\/strong>, aware of the mass exodus of users to Google and Apple ecosystems.<\/p>\n

After hinting at a launch date of September 2013, BBM officially launched on October 22, 2013. BBM actually exhibits very similar characteristics to WhatsApp <\/strong>in terms of emoticons, delivered\u00a0(and read) notifications, and the option to send files, photos, and voice memos.<\/p>\n

Why you should download BlackBerry Messenger<\/h3>\n

With a professional, fast and very neat interface<\/strong>, BlackBerry Messenger has an excellent graphics interface<\/strong> which is very well suited to the professional world. The side panels, bottom menu and tiled contacts view allows easy access to many of the features of BBM. And everything is very fast.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The quantity of customization options<\/strong><\/p>\n

The number of options available in BBM is impressive. In BBM for Android, for example, the color of the notification light<\/strong> can be changed from within the app. Other options let you change the hue or the design of your contact list.\"BBM<\/p>\n

Protect your phone number<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you sign up with\u00a0BBM, it generates a BlackBerry ID that is associated with your email address<\/strong>, but not your phone. This means that whoever has your number\u00a0won\u2019t automatically be added to your contacts the same way they are in WhatsApp.<\/p>\n

Tells you when someone has read a message<\/strong><\/p>\n

For lots of people, the two WhatsApp checkmarks tell very little. BBM, on the other hand, not only informs you when a message has been received (with a D<\/strong>), but also when the message has been read (with a R<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\"BBM<\/h3>\n

Why you shouldn’t download BlackBerry\u00a0Messenger<\/h3>\n

The process is long and laborious<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’ve never used BlackBerry Messenger, it’s a good idea to\u00a0sign up from the website<\/a> and not your phone.\u00a0Either way, the experience of filling out a long form<\/strong> with your personal details will discourage even the most enthusiastic of users.<\/p>\n

If you’re new, you won’t have any contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since BBM is not linked to a phone number or a phone book, new BBM users won’t have any\u00a0contacts, even if other friends are already using the application:\u00a0you have to invite them via email, SMS<\/strong>, <\/strong>or by using some fancy\u00a0technology.\"Adding<\/p>\n

How to add contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those fancy technologies that were just mentioned?\u00a0QR<\/a> and NFC codes. They’re\u00a0not exactly the most comfortable or\u00a0most reliable technologies, and don’t always work. \u00a0If you do give up, you can always send a PIN<\/strong> to your friends.\u00a0\"You<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t offer anything radically different <\/strong>If you’re looking for something new, BBM might not be for you. It\u2019s a very solid and reliable messaging app, but it\u2019s not revolutionary<\/strong>. If you want to try something different, you might prefer\u00a0LINE<\/a>, Snapchat<\/a>, or WeChat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the moment, only for BlackBerry exiles<\/h3>\n

BBM is an app for users who’ve already\u00a0been using BBM on their BlackBerry, who already have a BlackBerry ID and contacts, or for those ex-BBM users nostalgic for the service. For everyone else, BBM’s features just aren’t worth it, especially with the convoluted way of inviting and adding contacts.<\/p>\n

Download BlackBerry Messenger for Android<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Download BlackBerry Messenger for iPhone<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BlackBerry Messenger has been downloaded by millions of people since its multi-platform launch,\u00a0but the 64 million dollar question everyone’s been asking, is where or not it’s worth switching from WhatsApp,\u00a0LINE or the myriad of other messaging services that have popped up since BBM started the trend in 2006? We’ll give you the good and\u00a0bad of … Continue reading “Why you should (and shouldn’t) download BBM”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2044,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-57473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2044"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57473"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":331597,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57473\/revisions\/331597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57473"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=57473"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=57473"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=57473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}