BlackBerry Sees Massive Demand For Leaked BBM For Android App, Delays Rollout
BlackBerry has a problem: it just can't get enough attention from the consumer market. In fact, it's actually planning an exit from selling smartphones primarily to consumers in order to focus on lucrative enterprise contracts. But oddly enough, BlackBerry's latest problem has nothing to do with being unable to get attention; in fact, it's quite the opposite. Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM for Android app was posted online. The "leaked" build, according to BlackBerry, was downloaded over a million times in just eight hours.
Of course, since the build wasn't final, it's causing some issues across Android phones. So, because it simply has too much attention on this app, it's halting the roll-out. BlackBerry has assured interested users that its engineering team is "working around the clock" to deliver final versions of BBM for Android and iPhone, and customers that have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visit www.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.
Sadly, the company can't provide an ETA as to when final versions will be available, but it's certainly an odd problem to have: evidently, there's still tons of pent-up demand for the BBM messaging platform, which could turn out to be the company's most valuable piece of property if a sale goes through this year.
Of course, since the build wasn't final, it's causing some issues across Android phones. So, because it simply has too much attention on this app, it's halting the roll-out. BlackBerry has assured interested users that its engineering team is "working around the clock" to deliver final versions of BBM for Android and iPhone, and customers that have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visit www.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.
Sadly, the company can't provide an ETA as to when final versions will be available, but it's certainly an odd problem to have: evidently, there's still tons of pent-up demand for the BBM messaging platform, which could turn out to be the company's most valuable piece of property if a sale goes through this year.
