Indian smartphone vendors such as Celkon, Micromax, Spice and Zen will pre-install BBM on their Android-based smartphones, BlackBerry said on Tuesday.
BlackBerry BBM will also be available on Android-based smartphones from device vendors such as Be, Brightstar, EVERCOSS, IMO, Mito, Snexian, TECNO and TiPhone across Africa, Indonesia, Latin America and the Middle East.
In addition, BlackBerry BBM will continue to be available as a free download from Android app stores, including Google Play.
“It is clear that smartphone customers see BBM as a must have app for active conversations. The uptake we have seen for BBM since the launch on Android and iPhone is amazing,” said Andrew Bocking, executive vice president for BBM at BlackBerry.
Rahul Sharma, co-founder of Micromax, said that the second largest smartphone vendor has now preloaded BBM on the new Canvas Turbo and the initial response from consumers has been overwhelmingly positive. BBM will now be preloaded in the entire future range of Canvas phones.
BlackBerry claims that BBM gives customers privacy, control and immediacy as they chat with their contacts – either one-to-one, in multiple chats or as part of a BBM Group. BBM’s Delivered and Read statuses, as well as message-in-progress notices, keep people engaged and active in their conversations.
