BBM turns into smash app hit for BlackBerry

AppId is over the quota AppId is over the quota

Over 10m downloads of BBM for Android and iPhone in the 1st day

incredible launch for BBM - bocking

In just 24 hours after its release BlackBerry‘s IM [Instant Messaging] client – BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), was been downloaded over ten million times by Android and iPhone users. We reckon like Blackberry itself that this must be one of the best single-day openings for a mobile app to date. Um. So, why didn’t BlackBerry do this before? Anyway, BBM rose through the rankings of Apple’s iTunes App Store to become the Number One free app in no fewer than 75 countries in that period. Significantly this included areas outside North American such as the UK, Indonesia and the Middle East. The company finally gave some clues as to the reason for the delays over the launch – every BBM user has a unique ID.

Here at GoMo News, we couldn’t work out why it took the Canadian company over one month to re-commence distribution of the BBM client.

That was after a pre-release version of the Android client got downloaded by around one million Android users.

The reason may be this … the company revealed that, “Every BBM user has a unique PIN that maintains privacy, so users are not required to ever give out their phone number or email address to a new or casual contact.”

Which is very definitely a great USP (Unique Selling Point). GoMo News rather suspects, however, that when the bootleg version of the Android app got out, everybody ended up with the same ID.

Which would have destroyed the whole point for BlackBerry. Interestingly, th BBM client for iOS must have been more intelligent/advance because BlackBerry doesn’t appear to have penalised those who ‘side-loaded’ it.

Or in other words, found a way to install the legitimate BBM for iPhone app on their handset.

Andrew Bocking, executive vp for BBM at BlackBerry, (previously he was just described as ‘head’ of BBM), explained, “This has been an incredible launch for BBM across Android and iPhone devices.”

” 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.”

Importantly, Android and iPhone users will have access to BBM Voice and Video calling, as well as the new community building tool – BBM Channels – in the near future, BlackBerry says.

Some observers have pooh-poohed the release of BBM versus the likes of WhatsApp because there is no Windows version of BBM (but there is for WhatsApp).

But look at some of these stats … BBM has over 60 million monthly active customers, with 51 million people lus using BBM an average of 90 minutes per day.

Currently, BBM customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps.

Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received – indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are.

Now think what a fantastic opportunity BBM presents for mobile marketers. The open rate for BBM users is higher than even SMS/text.

We’ll wait to see exactly how BlackBerry decides to monetise BBM and whether it will involve advertising.

Of course, if GoMo News were to be advising BlackBerry on their PR and brand re-enforcement …

We wouldn’t let such a brill story appear on the same day as the company updated BB10 – the very latest version of its mobile OS.

  Tony is currently Editor of GoMobile News. He's a veteran telecoms journalist who has previously worked for major printed and online titles. Follow him on Twitter @GoMoTweet.