Earlier this week, BlackBerry announced the arrival of BlackBerry Messenger for Android and iOS. A new report suggests that the messaging service will have some limitations, however. According to TrustedReviews, BBM will not be available for the iPad or for Android tablets at launch. Vivek Bhardwaj, head of the BlackBerry software portfolio, reportedly told the website that BBM will be limited to iPhones running iOS 6 or higher and Android smartphones.
“Smartphone is our real focus and again it comes back to what BBM is,” he explained. “If you look BBM and the engagement and the activity, it’s because it is mobile, because people are on the go.”
While the executive didn’t rule out tablet support in the future, he noted that it may take some time.
“When you start looking at tablets, computers and other screens, the usage model changes and behaviour changes, he said. “For us right now the absolute focus is getting BBM onto smartphones.”
Bhardwaj even hinted at BBM coming to different devices such as smart TVs and computers. “I think when you look at things like Smart TVs and desktops, those are definitely areas for exploration,” he said.
BBM will be available for Android and the iPhone this summer.
