It"s been five months since BlackBerry confirmed that it was bringing its BBM app to Windows Phone, just a few weeks after saying that it had no plans to do so. But plans can change, of course, and while the idea of BBM running on any non-BlackBerry OS - much less one from Microsoft - may once have seemed absurd, the cross-platform world that we live in has pushed the company to spread its messaging app beyond its own devices.
After launching as a limited beta on Windows Phone earlier this month, BlackBerry has announced today that BBM is now available for all users of Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 handsets. The company says that the app "will build on the collaboration, privacy and security features that are at the core of the BBM experience and already enjoyed by more than 85 million monthly active users around the world."
Even so, some features are missing from this initial release on Windows Phone, compared with what"s available on other platforms. Bryan Biniak, vice-president and general manager of Developer Experience at Microsoft, acknowledged this in the press release accompanying the announcement, saying that "with BBM, we are pleased to bring many of its top features to the Windows Phone platform." However, he added: "... we expect that new features will roll out in the months to come."
BBM is one of several big-name apps to join Windows Phone in recent weeks, including the likes of Pinterest, Uber and Fitbit. You can download BlackBerry Messenger now from the Windows Phone Store.