The BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) app for Android has leaked online, but the service has not yet gone live.
Previously, BlackBerry confirmed that its well-known BBM service will be available on other mobile operating systems such as iOS and Android. The company also revealed that BBM will be available on other platforms in the summer, but fall has started and the app is yet to make its way to Android and iOS.
"I saw today a leaked version of BBM it is official from RIM but it is not functional yet in another words it open and send activation Email but it can not been activated now," reports a user of XDA Developers forum.
The BBM service has been very popular among smartphone users who use BlackBerry handsets. However, with the declining popularity of BlackBerry handsets, many customers have switched to other handsets made by rivals such as Samsung, Apple, LG and more. It seems that BlackBerry customers who have switched to other handsets may still be interested in using BBM on other platforms, if available.
"The excitement around the upcoming launch of BBM for Android and iPhone users is amazing. We want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm, but wanted to let people know that the program is structured so that only those in the beta will be able to use the app. The version we've seen on the Web in the last couple of days can be downloaded, but will not work on devices that are not approved in the beta program," said BlackBerry (via CrackBerry).
To add fuel to the fire, Samsung Mobile (Nigeria) recently tweeted that BBM will be exclusive to Samsung devices for three months and the service will start from Sept. 20. On the other hand, Victoria Berry, BBM Communications Director at BlackBerry, dismissed the tweet and said that BBM will not be an exclusive offering.
BlackBerry has an event planned for Sept. 18 in both India and Malaysia so we can hope that the Canadian company launches BBM for Android and iOS at the events.
If you have switched from BlackBerry to either iOS or Android, would you download BBM on your handset?
