Following on from my last post about a number of fake BBM apps in the Play Store, BlackBerry has finally given a statement on the status of the BBM rollout for users on Android and iOS, and it looks like things are on hold for the time being.
BlackBerry is saying the leaked versions people were using have caused “issues” and that they are hard at work to get things back on track.
Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM for Android app was posted online. The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours without even launching the official Android app – is incredible. Consequently, this unreleased version caused issues, which we have attempted to address throughout the day.
Our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM. We are pausing the global roll-out of BBM for Android and iPhone. Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visit www.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.
As soon as we are able, we will begin a stag`gered country roll-out of BBM for Android and continue the roll-out of BBM for iPhone. Please follow @BBM on Twitter for the latest updates and go to www.BBM.com to sign-up for updates about BBM for Android and iPhone. These issues have not impacted BBM service for BlackBerry
If you’re one of the folks using the leaked version you’ll probably want to uninstall it before BlackBerry does whatever they are going to do to disable it.
And of course, if you’re wanting to get up and running with BBM on Android, follow the directions above and register for updates.
Piss take