BBM for iPhone now available in India; BBM for Android lost in transit?

Update: BlackBerry pauses BBM for Android and iPhone rollout, blames 'leaked' app

New Delhi: BlackBerry has announced the availability of its much-awaited BBM for iPhone app for India as the calendar moved to September 22. The app was first available in New Zealand. But the equally-if-not-more-eagerly-awaited Android app which was scheduled to arrive earlier has been delayed and there is no news yet about when to expect it.

"Good morning #India. #BBM for #iPhone is now available in the App Store." tweeted the official @BBM Twitter ID and BlackBerry offered no reasons for the inordinate dalay in releasing the Android app. Apart from some attempts at humour, all that @BBM is a tweet thanking eager users for their 'patience.'

"Thanks for your patience #Android users! Working hard to get you the real #BBM ASAP. We'll let you know when it's live. #BBM4ALL," @BBM tweeted.

BBM for Android was scheduled to arrive on the Google Play Store at 4:30 PM IST (7 AM EDT) on Saturday, to be followed by BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 at 12:01 AM local time on September 22.

The BBM launch is one of the most eagerly awaited app launches ever.

BBM which was previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones will be available as a free download in Google Play and the Apple App Store. BBM in its new versions will continue using the BBM PIN to maintain privacy, one feature that sets BBM apart from other popular communication tools such as WhatsApp.

BlackBerry had first announced its Android and iOS plans for BBM on May 14 during the launch of its Q5 smartphone and confirmed the availability dates on September 18.

BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers on BlackBerry alone and this figure is expected to multiply with the popular messaging app becoming available on the two most popular mobile platforms.

The BBM for iPhone app can be accessed on the Apple iTunes App Store here.

For the latest updates on the availability of BBM for Android and BBM for iPhone click here.

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