Update: Blackberry Messenger is now available on Android and iPhone!

image: androidcentral.com

Update: You can now download BBM for your iPhone and iPad via BBM for iPhone & iPad
If you live outside Africa, you can download the BBM for Andoid via the Google Play
But if you live in Africa, you'll have to download it via Samsung Apps, BBM for Android via Samsung apps or wait till October 25 to download it from Google Play

Update: I originally typed this post out on Friday (a day before the announced date for the launch on Android) and automated it to post on Sunday. BBM for Android is yet to be officially released, and according to official gist from Blackberry, it was paused because of an unofficial release that works so well it has brought over 1million Android users on BBM. But the iOS version has been released in some countries (India, Malaysia, New Zealand...).
But the details in this post are still valid. You'll need iOS 6 or 7 on your iPhone. And you'll need Android 4.0 and above on your Android.
For those of you who downloaded and installed the real (unofficial) BBM app and are using it, BB says it's working on flushing you out of it's BBM network.

Yey!!!
Now I can ping from my Samsung Galaxy phone. 

It's time for you to get the best of the two worlds, download the BBM app from the app market/store and enjoy the best of the Blackberry world, the BB messenger.

How Does it Work?
It just works! You'll get a PIN you can share with other users, especially your friends with Blackberry phones. 

Why Can't I see the app in the store?
Lol. 
Go get a new phone. You need to have Android 4.0 or higher running on your phone to see the app. And you need iOS 6 or iOS 7 to be able to install it on your iPhone.


Why?! Why is Blackberry doing this to us? (Blackberry fans)
Take heart.
Blackberry has suddenly fallen on hard times. The company is trying to split and sell itself piece-wise. The only thing going well for them is the reputation Blackberry Messenger has. A lot of people (especially in the corporate world) consider it as the best messaging app. So they want to grow their user base and compete with Whatsapp that has over 300million users. If things go as expected they might spin off that section of the company and maybe do an IPO for it (after all, Twitter is about to do an IPO).

The Truth
If you've just received a Q10 or Z10 or the new Z30, don't tear the pack. As fast as you can, find a buyer for it and get yourself a Samsung S4. Forget about the iPhone, Apple has no support center in Nigeria. My boss recently wasted the money he spent on an iPhone that had a slight technical glitch, something that would have been fixed for free in US. 

Happy Sunday!