BBM for Android has officially achieved a milestone on the Google Play Store: 100 million installs. That puts BBM in the top tier of messaging apps on Google Play, and we got there in a little over a year as we first posted BBM for Android in late October 2013. We have 3.7 million reviews, and just shy of 2.4 million of them are five stars.
Of course, Android is just one of the four platforms on which BBM is now available. The others, of course, are BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone. So while 100 million installs is a big number, it’s still just a fraction of the total.
100 million is great, but a billion is even better. BBM users have now sent more than 1 billion stickers. And we are achieving 1 billion virtual goods impressions in the BBM Shop monthly. All these numbers just go to show the tremendous momentum behind BBM right now.
The latest Android version is 2.7 released on March 2, 2015. If you haven’t updated your BBM for Android since then, be sure to do it now so you can take advantage of all the latest improvements, including:
- Custom BBM PINs: One of the most requested BBM features has been the ability to create a customized BBM PIN that’s unique and easy to share. Starting today, BBM users who upgrade to the latest version will be able to create a 6-8 digits alphanumeric Custom PIN of their choice. Custom PINs can be purchased in the BBM Shop for $1.99 USD per month. In addition to Custom PINs, BBM users can also purchase a no-ad subscription that will remove advertisements from the BBM Feed for $0.99 USD per month.
- Android Wear Support Now Available: Android users will be excited to hear that BBM now supports a wide range of Android Wear™ smartwatches to enable BBM users to communicate faster and more discreetly on-the-go. With the latest update, BBM for Android Wear will enable BBM users to seamlessly:
- Receive alerts on the watch when new BBM messages come in, see the sender and discreetly preview messages.
- Read BBM messages in their entirety, navigate among messages and dismiss notifications with a simple swipe.
- Respond to messages hands-free with Google Now™ or choose from pre-defined messages to quickly send a response.
- Accept BBM invites from the watch without the need to access their smartphone
- Multiple BBM Channel Contributors: BBM Channels now supports multiple channel contributors through the web client; making it easier for the over 1 million BBM Channel owners to manage and post new content.
- Share Photos in Group Chats: With the latest update, users can also share photos directly in a group chat, enabling a seamless chat experience. Users will know immediately when a photo has been shared with the group and can view it without leaving the chat.
Just because we hit 100 million installs on Google Play doesn’t mean we have to stop there. Download the latest version today and help us get to a billion! And, as we mentioned the other week, BBM for Android is also now available on the Amazon Appstore.
