The Blackberry messenger will finally shut down tomorrow after 13 years. Some people may be surprised the service “still exists”, but BBM as it is more commonly called has struggled to keep users who have now found preference in other platforms, particularly WhatsApp.
Described by Blackberry as “one of the most loved instant messaging applications”, the love for BBM has since faded, and now the company is also moving on.
Many Nigerians may remember with nostalgia, how owning a blackberry device was a prestige of sort, and the BB Pin was the next thing owners of the device would usually have to commit to memory, after their phone numbers.
The company in a blog post, stated that three years ago, it set out to reinvigorate BBM consumer service, as a cross-platform service where users can not only chat and share life experiences, but also consume content and use payment services.
“We poured our hearts into making this a reality, and we are proud of what we have built to date,” read the post, noting that “The technology industry however, is very fluid, and in spite of our substantial efforts, users have moved on to other platforms, while new users proved difficult to sign on.”
In what could pass for an emotional goodbye, blackberry said “the time has come to sunset the BBM consumer service, and for us to move on.”
Some good news for users who may have in-app purchases yet to be utilised, as it was indicated under one FAQ, that people who have BBM Stickers can issue refunds of their in-app purchases as per Apple App Store or Google Play store documentation.
It also clarified in another FAQ, that the announcement of the BBM Consumer service closing down for devices using Android and iOS will not have any effect on the BBM service operating on BB10 and BBOS devices as that service is operated by BlackBerry Limited and will continue.
Also, as an alternative, BlackBerry Limited says it has launched BBM Enterprise (BBMe) which can be installed on devices using Android and iOS which users can download. BBMe is compatible with BBM on BB10 and BBOS devices.
CALEB OJEWALE
