BBM for iPhone & Android release date delayed

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BlackBerry has delayed the rollout of BBM for Android & iPhone

BlackBerry has confirmed that it has aborted the rollout of BBM for Android and iPhone. BBM was scheduled to land on 21 and 22 of September for Android and iPhone respectively, but has now been delayed and the reason is said to be the leaked version of the application, which appeared online last week.
The leaked version of BBM was apparently downloaded 1.1 million times, according to reports. BBM did appear in the App Store in some regions, but the release has now been delayed.
Users who did manage to download BBM via the App Store will still be able to use it, although BlackBerry has now disabled the leaked Android version.
Here’s BlackBerry’s official statement:

“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 staggered 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.”
Although BlackBerry did not elaborate on the cause of these "issues", security expert Graham Cluley suggested that BlackBerry may not have been able to cope with the spike of activity hitting its servers, reports The Telegraph.

"What seems, in part, to have tripped up BlackBerry is the poorly-policed free-and-easy Google Play Android app store, where multiple BBM apps, posing as official releases, appeared," he said.

"Most Android users assume that if an app is in the official Google Play store, it must be official and safe to install on their phone. The truth, sadly, is rather different."
We'll update this story as soon as we know more about when BBM will be launching.

BBM for iPhone demoed in “hands on” video

While the majority of people are still waiting to get their hands on BBM for Android and iPhone, some users – in a few regions – have now got access to the cross-platform IM application.
BlackBerry is steadily rolling out the iPhone version of BBM to certain regions. It’s yet to land in the UK but iMore has a pretty detailed video first look of the application running on an iPhone.
“It looks just as you'd expect and mirrors the current version of BBM on BlackBerry. BBM includes chat, groups, file sharing and various settings to play around with,” said the report.
Check out the first look at BBM below: