You may remember a time when BlackBerry mobile phones were all the rage – part in due to its intuitive OS and a little thing called BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). The app was first a BlackBerry exclusive, and when consumers moved on to Android and iOS smartphones, they ported the program into free applications downloadable on both platforms’ respective app stores.
Many who enjoyed using BBM continued to do so with their non-BlackBerry devices, but it seems as though even the number of BBM users are dwindling. The current BBM app is not controlled by BlackBerry themselves but by an Indonesian company by the name of Emtek.
In a blogpost uploaded onto the BBM blog site, Emtek have confirmed that BBM services will cease operations this May 31. The developers cite the lack of users as the main reason for its fall from grace – when May 31 hits, users will not be able to access the app and won’t be able to receive messages. Users are reminded to save their media files from BBM before the said date.
This won’t really be the end of BBM however, as parent company BlackBerry will be throwing users a lifeline by making the enterprise version of the app BBMe available for individual users. The app is available to download on the Google Play Store, while iOS users have to wait a while more for it to be come to the App Store. Here’s the catch though – BBMe will be free to use during the first year upon sign up, but will then cost you $2.49 for a six-month subscription RM10.35.