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BlackBerry's BBM may hit Android Friday, iOS on Saturday

BlackBerry's popular messaging platform is reportedly debuting on iOS and Android in the next few days.

Roger_Cheng.jpg
Roger_Cheng.jpg
Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
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Roger Cheng
BlackBerry announced that BBM would go cross platform at its annual conference in May.
BlackBerry announced that BBM would go cross platform at its annual conference in May. Brian Bennett/CNET

BlackBerry's messenger service may finally cross the platform bridge in the next few days.

BlackBerry Messenger is reportedly set to make its debut on Android this Friday, and become available on Apple's App Store as soon as Saturday, according to BlackBerry news site CrackBerry.

It's been a bit of a wait since BlackBerry announced in May that its messenger service would be made available across different mobile operating systems. By going cross platform, BlackBerry hopes to compete against services such as WhatsApp, which boasts more than 300 million users.

A BlackBerry representative declined to comment on the rumor.

The debut would come right around when the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C launch. The news comes following BlackBerry's own debut of its Z30, its latest smartphone with a 5-inch display.