BBM For iPhone And Android Is Downloaded By 10m Users In First 24 Hours

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has been downloaded more than ten million times by iPhone and Android users in the first 24 hours it was officially available.

The rollout of the cross-platform version of BlackBerry’s popular instant messaging service resumed yesterday, a month after the company was forced to delay the launch due to complications caused by the leak of an unauthorised version of the Android client.

However it appears as though plenty of users were prepared to wait for the free app, which has at one point or another been the number one downloaded free app in more than 75 countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Indonesia and large parts of the Middle East.

BlackBerry Messenger

“This has been an incredible launch for BBM across Android and iPhone devices,” boasts Andrew Bocking, executive vice president, BBM at BlackBerry. “The mobile messaging market is full of opportunity for BBM. We intend to be the leading private social network for everyone who needs the immediate communication and collaboration of instant messaging combined with the privacy, control and reliability delivered through BBM.”

The popularity of the app had not been unexpected as the unauthorised Android app was downloaded one million times before it was pulled, while six million people had registered for pre-released information.

To cope with the expected demand, BlackBerry has put in place a queuing process that requires users to register their email once they have downloaded the app and wait for a notification to let them know they have been approved for the service.

BBM has long been considered one of the company’s more valuable assets and there were even suggestions it was considering spinning off its messaging division into a subsidiary.

A number of companies are believed to be interested in acquiring BlackBerry, including Google, Intel, SAP and most recently Lenovo, although the firm has a preliminary sale agreement with its largest shareholder, Fairfax Holdings for £2.9 billion.

BlackBerry has had a bumpy year! Try our 2013 BlackBerry quiz!