BlackBerry Messenger

After many, many hiccups BBM is finally available on the Apple App Store, but with a catch. BlackBerry announced today that BBM will begin rolling out to Google Play, the Apple App Store and in select Samsung App Stores, but they need new users to get in line before they can use it.

The company says about six million people showed interest in BBM at BBM.com, and about one million Android users are already using a leaked version of the messenger. This is why BlackBerry has started a "line-up system to ensure a smooth roll out." To avoid a repeat of last month's server issues, new users must enter their email address to hold their spot in line after they download the app. BBM fans who already signed up at BBM.com can start using the app immediately without waiting.

UPDATE: BlackBerry has announced that both the iOS and Android version of BBM have been delayed. From the BlackBerry Blog:

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.

After a few false starts, leaks and getting stuck in the Apple review process for over two weeks, BlackBerry's messaging service has finally started rolling out to iOS devices. BBM has popped up in the New Zealand App Store with more countries to follow. The Android version was supposed to land in the Google Play Store first, but has yet to make an appearance.

BlackBerry highlighted some of the messenger's features on its blog earlier this week. Some of the iOS and Android highlights include BBM Chat, the ability to share files on your phone and multi-person chats. BBM users can also post personal messages, add a profile picture and keep all their contacts updated on what they're doing through the Updates feature.

BlackBerry's Messenger app was submitted to Apple two weeks ago, according to a Tweet from a developer who worked on the app. It is unknown why the approval process is taking so long since the current approval time for the App Store is 4 to 5 days. Perhaps that is why the Senior Strategic Account Manager at BlackBerry, Alex Kinsella, felt the need to send a tweet.

The popular messaging platform was promised to land on both iOS and Android devices "before the end of this summer," by CEO Thorsten Heins in June. At least iOS users now know that it's not BlackBerry's fault for missing their own deadline.

Rumors originally pointed to a June 27 release for the iOS and Android versions of BlackBerry's Messenger software, but CEO Thorsten Heins has confirmed that the long awaited BlackBerry Messenger won't be available until later this year. Heins announced that the cross-platform service will land on both iOS and and Android devices "before the end of this summer," during a quarterly earnings call this morning.

BBM will be free to download, but it will only support devices running iOS 6 or higher, and Android 4.0 or higher, according to MobileSyrup.com. The service will also initially be limited to messaging and groups at launch, with plans to add other popular BlackBerry features such as BBM Voice in future updates.