BlackBerry Messenger

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BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)

Developer(s)	BlackBerry Ltd.
Initial release	August 1, 2005; 10 years ago
Stable release	10.13.6.10
Development status	Active
Operating system	BlackBerry OS 5 and later BlackBerry Tablet OS 1 and later iOS 6 and later Android 2.3 only and 4.0 or later
Platform	BlackBerry iOS Android
Available in	Multilingual
Type	Instant Messaging Client
License	Proprietary
Website	www.bbm.com

BlackBerry Messenger, also known as BBM, is a proprietary Internet-based instant messenger and videotelephony application included on BlackBerry devices that allows messaging and voice calls between BlackBerry, iOS, and Android users. It is developed by BlackBerry Limited (formerly known as Research In Motion Limited (RIM)) and was first released in August 2005.^[1]
Messages sent via BlackBerry Messenger are sent over the Internet and use the BlackBerry PIN system. Many service providers allow sign-in to BlackBerry Messenger using a dedicated BlackBerry data plan.^[2] Exchanging messages is possible to a single person or via dedicated discussion or chat groups, which allow multiple BlackBerry devices to communicate in a single session. In addition to offering text-based instant messages, BlackBerry Messenger also allows users to send pictures, voicenotes (audio recordings), files (up to 16 MB), share real time location on a map, stickers and a wide selection of emoticons.
Communication was only possible between BlackBerry devices until late 2013 when BBM was released on iOS and Android systems. 300 million Stickers have been shared. Daily, 150,000 BBM Voice Calls are placed. There are more than 190 million BBM users worldwide as of 2015,^[3] and BlackBerry infrastructure handled 30 petabytes of data traffic each month by early 2013.^[4]
BBM was very popular in the late 2000s and the break of the decade, before it started to lose out to rivals (iMessage, WhatsApp, etc.)^[5]