Blackberry shuts down BBM after 14 years

By Staff reporter | 20 Apr 2019 at 07:56hrs
BBM
BlackBerry, the tech firm better known for its smartphones was once popular for its BBM messaging app. The app was one of the most preferred ones before apps like WhatsApp, Messenger and others showed up.

Launched in 2005, the iconic app is finally shutting down after 14 years of service. Emtek, the company which started managing the BBM service in 2016, announced that it's closing the service on May 31 this year.

"Three years ago, we set out to reinvigorate BBM consumer service, one of the most loved instant messaging applications, 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," stated the blog post.

The blog post adds that despite putting efforts in improving the platform and making it more engaging, people moved to other messaging apps and it became difficult for BBM to sign-in new users. "Though we are sad to say goodbye, the time has come to sunset the BBM consumer service, and for us to move on."

Although the regular consumer version of the app is going to be shuttered soon, the enterprise version of the app is still available to download and use. Interested users would have to pay $2.50 in every six months to keep using the service.

BBM or BlackBerry Messenger app was exclusive to BlackBerry devices for years before it became available for other smartphone users in 2013. However, by that time most users migrated to rival messaging apps.

For now, Facebook has the largest share in the messaging app market as it has its own Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp under it. Telegram, Google's Messenger, Hangouts and more are also available.

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