The cross-platform mobile messaging space has never been this crowded, but people still seem excited to check out BlackBerry’s upcoming entry. BBM for Android has been years in the making and according to a tweet from Samsung Mobile in Nigeria, the app will finally debut this Friday. But there’s also some potential bad news for those who don’t use Samsung phones — it looks like BBM for Android may be a Samsung exclusive in at least one region, at least in the early days following its launch.
“YES WE DID!!!! Available [from] Friday,” Samsung Mobile NG tweeted in response to a user who posted, “If Samsung really did get the 3 month exclusive like I heard, that would be something.”
BlackBerry has addressed the matter in a prior statement, however: “The excitement around the upcoming BBM launch on iPhone and Android devices seems to know no bounds. Although I’m a big fan of this passion, I want to clarify that no one will have an exclusive on offering BBM. We’ll be bringing the app to Android and iPhone users across the globe soon.”
BlackBerry has not confirmed a launch date, nor has it said anything about the app being a Samsung exclusive in any region.
Beyond release timing, it looks like users who really want to take a closer look at BBM can already do so thanks to a leaked download file posted on the CrackBerry forum. Unfortunately, however, BlackBerry has confirmed that those who install the leaked file still won’t be able to use the new app until the service launches to the public.
“The excitement around the upcoming launch of BBM for Android and iPhone users is amazing,” a BlackBerry spokesperson said in a statement. “We want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm, but wanted to let people know that the program is structured so that only those in the beta will be able to use the app. The version we’ve seen on the Web in the last couple of days can be downloaded, but will not work on devices that are not approved in the beta program.”
Updated to clarify that the Samsung exclusive is likely local, if the company’s tweet is at all accurate.
