BBM 2.0 Update brings BBM Voice and Channels to Android and iOS

BBM’s next major update for android and iOS, which we exclusively told you about a few weeks ago, is now available for download for both platforms. Like we mentioned before, the update brings with it BBM Channels, BBM Voice, local sharing with Glympse, Dropbox integration and much more.

If you haven’t gotten a push notification yet, you can hit Google Play and the Apple App store to get the new update.

When you do, do check out Jeffbankstegrity Blog BBM channel: C004D3AC4 for cool stuff and occasionally chat with us directly or scan the QR code below or just search “Jeffbankstegrity Blog”.

Here’s the press release about the update from BlackBerry:

BBM Voice and BBM Channels Now Available for Android and iPhone Customers

New features also include simple file and photo sharing, location sharing, over 100 new emoticons and Dropbox integration for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry Smartphones

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – February 13, 2014) – A new version of BBM™ is about for Android™, iPhone and BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY) (TSX: BB) customers, giving them lots of exciting new features. Android and iPhone customers will now be able to make free voice calls to BBM contacts over a Wi-Fi® or data connection with BBM Voice(i), as well as access BBM Channels. In addition, BBM customers on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry(ii) smartphones will have more to chat about with fast one-click sharing of photos, documents, voice notes and more. BBM customers will also be able to share their live location for a specified amount of time with other BBM contacts by using location sharing, powered by Glympse, and will have 100 new emoticons available to help them say what’s on their mind.

“BBM continues to deliver new functionality as a premier messaging platform that provides a simple and effective way to stay connected. Today’s announcement gives Android and iPhone customers the rich experience of BBM Voice and BBM Channels – two great ways to connect with friends, family and colleagues, to build out communities around shared interests, and to follow your favourite people and brands,” said John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry. “BBM continues to quickly evolve as a social mobile platform for consumers as well as for business customers through innovative features that give you great new ways to connect and share with each other.”

BBM Channels
BBM Channels lets customers chat with other BBM users about topics that interest them. Customers can join channels about a range of topics from products, hobbies and sports to entertainment, fashion, cars and more. Channels can be created by brands, businesses and BBM customers alike and are a great way to communicate directly and immediately with people who share common interests in the broader BBM community.

By posting to their channel, channel owners immediately reach their subscribers with a message that can spark discussions. “Scheduled chat hours” allow BBM customers to have live chats with the channel owner – a great way to engage directly with their favorite channels one on one.

BBM Channels maintains the BBM core values of immediacy, privacy and control. Because BBM Channels live right inside BBM, BBM customers get notified the moment one of the channels they follow has a new post, or when someone responds to their comments.

With BBM Channels, customers can engage with brands or other customers without having to add them to their contact lists, thereby maintaining a high level of privacy. With BBM Channels, customers have the discretion to opt in only to channel brands that are relevant to them and always have control over the channels they subscribe to, while channel owners have control over how subscribers interact with their channel.

For brands and businesses, BBM Channels provides a new way to interact and connect with a highly engaged and targeted mobile audience. There are thousands of brands already using BBM Channels to engage with their customers. More on BBM Channels:
*.Open, yet private. Channel owners control the conversation on their channels. Channel owners can choose to: allow subscribers to comment on posts freely or to approve them first; let subscribers chat with them directly anytime, or set chat hours; they can interact with subscribers without ever giving out personal details, or adding them as a personal BBM Contact. And with private channels, channel owners can keep in touch with closer circles on an invite-only basis.

*.Channel reporting. Each channel has its own performance dashboard built right in. Channel owners can see stats on how subscribers are engaging with their channel, how many people have viewed each post and how the subscriber base is growing.

*.It’s fast and easy. Start a channel right from a BlackBerry, iPhone or Android smartphone. It only takes a few minutes to set up a BBM Channel and once it is set up, posting to it is as simple as choosing a photo and adding a short message.

Location Sharing
With location sharing powered by Glympse, customers can now share their real-time location with one or several BBM contacts for a specified amount of time – perfect for when people are running late, out with friends and more. BBM puts control in the customers’ hands, allowing them to specify how long they want to share their location for, by setting a timer. When the timer runs out the customers’ location becomes private again.

Dropbox Support
Built-in support for Dropbox™ makes it easy to send large files like presentations and videos. With Dropbox built in to BBM, you can send a file from your personal cloud directly to a BBM contact. On the receiving end, you can save the file directly to your smartphone or add it to your Dropbox account.

Emoticons
BBM customers have been asking for more emoticons, and now more than 100 new emoticons have been added to help you express yourself. Many of the new emoticons came from ideas submitted by customers!

BBM continues to connect friends, family and colleagues across a myriad of mobile networks, as the standard for mobile instant messaging with a fast, reliable, and engaging experience that puts control of privacy and personal information back in the customers’ hands.

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BBM 2.0 for Android and iPhone Coming Soon: Here's What's New

A new update for BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) on android and iOS “BBM 2.0″ would be available for download in a few weeks packing some new features which are currently in beta.

Here are the new features that will be making their way to your devices with the new update:

BBM Voice: BBM voice which has till now been exclusive to BBM on BlackBerry devices will be going cross-platform with this release. BBM Voice let’s you make voice calls to contacts over BBM.

Deeper OS Integration: The new update brings better integration with native services and a more OS specific design with elements picked for the app from the corresponding OSes. i.e the android app would have android design elements and the iOs app would feature iOS 7 design elements.

Quick Share: Quick share offers a “one-touch” menu for sharing stuff over BBM that’s tied to your native services.

Dropbox Integration: On BBM 2.0 Dropbox has been built into the quick share menu as a result, you’ll be able to share files stored on your dropbox directly over BBM.

Glimpse Integration: BBM 2.0 also gets integration with Glimpse a service that allows you share your location for a limited time privately. So with the update, you will be able to send timed location data to a contact on your BBM. The location would automatically deleted after the timer runs out.

One Touch Voice Notes: Much like whatsapp, BBM 2.0 would also gain the ability to send voice notes quickly push-to-talk style.

100+ new smileys: Over a hundred new BBM smileys are included in the update.

BBM Channels: BBM channels which are currently exclusive to BlackBerry devices would be making its way to the android and iOS versions of BBM with the update.

**Update**

BBM 2.0 might also bring BBM to android devices running gingerbread, lowering the entry barrier for android devices from Ice Cream Sandwich.

The BlackBerry version of BBM would also be getting the new smileys, quick share and Glimpse integration around the same time as well.

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BBM Voice and Channels feature Coming Soon for Android Users

If you have been rocking BBM on android for a while and wondering when some of the other features available on the BlackBerry version would be coming to you, the answer to that is soon.

BlackBerry has just started testing the BBM Voice feature – which lets you make voice calls to other BBM contacts and BBM Channels – a private social network built over BBM which launched on BlackBerry some months ago on the new BBM for android beta. The Beta testing is a closed on so only the lucky few individuals who got invites from the BlackBerry Beta zone can access it right now.

The new features should be available for the public in a few weeks when the beta testing is done. As at right now, there is no word on when the video chat feature would make it to other platforms neither is there word of the same features making the jump to iOS as well but I’ll be surprised if it’s not also being tested as I type this.

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What to Expect from BBM in 2014

Today I want to give you a first look at some of the great new features we have up next for BBM. As a leader of the BBM product management group, I wanted to share this with you first hand, so, let’s dive in.

We haven’t slowed down since launching BBM for iPhone and Android in October and BBM Channels for BlackBerry 10 and BBOS in November. We’ve been working on some new ways to make it faster and easier to share with your BBM contacts. Whether it’s talking with BBM Voice, connecting over a BBM Channel, sending a quick photo, or even sharing your location, there’s more to BBM than just chatting. Here’s what’s up next from BBM:

1. BBM Voice for iPhone and android or as I like to say, free voice calls to any BBM contact anywhere in the world! Just another way that BBM helps to bring you together with people when you can’t be there in person – without having to pay long distance charges.

2. BBM Channels for iPhone and Android BBM Channels are a great way to join conversations happening with the BBM community beyond your contact list. By creating your own channel you can start conversations sparked by your thoughts, ideas and passions. Subscribing to a BBM channel lets you join conversations with others who share your interests. Already there are tons of great channels from Tim Hortons (C00121F5C) to Mercedes-Benz (C0009C84D) to the Toronto Raptors (C000171E7), and my personal favourite, Through my Lens (C00019476). And more are coming online every week. I find BBM Channels is a great way to make new Contacts as well.

3. Faster and easier sharing – from photos to voice notes, your location and more BBM chats happen fast – so fast it’s like you’re there in the same room. Now you can share just about anything with that same speed. Share photos in a snap, send a voice note with just one touch and more. And get this, you can even share your location, live, for a limited time with any contact you choose. When the timer runs out your location is private again. Perfect for when you’re meeting up with friends, stuck in traffic or lost at a concert. (Not that that’s ever happened to me ☺.)

4. Lots of new emoticons speaking of emoticons, ask and ye shall receive. We’ve got loads of new emoticons to help you make your point. 100 new emoticons in all! This includes a bunch that came from you, our fans. We can’t wait for you to meet all our new emoticons from ROTFL, Epic Fail, Face palm, a serious hug and yes, even a smiley-poo.

We’re beta testing these features now for release on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry 10 in the next couple of months so stay sharp, they’ll be here before you know it. For a closer look at these features in action check out this video:

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

Photos Below...

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BBM Channels: Update of BlackBerry Messenger on BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS Devices

BBM Channels for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS devices has officially launched! BBM Channels is a great way to have real conversations with people across the world, whether you’re engaging with others across a variety of BBM Channels or creating your own and connecting with new BBM Channels Contacts. To help you dive in, here’s an overview of a few things you’ll want to know. For example, you can create and manage a BBM Channel using the BBM Channels Manager website.

BBM Channels is not yet available to those using BBM on Android and iPhone devices, but you can still get started on the website if you have a confirmed BlackBerry ID email address!

What is BBM Channels, and how do I get it?
If you aren’t familiar with BBM Channels, it is a new feature that allows you to engage in conversations with other people, brands and communities. For example, I love Formula1, so I joined the Mercedes AMG Petronas BBM Channel to follow insider news from my favorite team. You can also make your own channel and take advantage of several unique features that make connecting with your subscribers really easy.

BBM Channels is available for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS devices and can be found in BlackBerry World. If you already have BBM installed, upgrade by clicking here while using a BlackBerry device, or open BlackBerry World and select My World. You’ll be shown your application updates that will include a BBM update. After updating, look for the new channels option the next time you open BBM.

Find and participate in other BBM Channels
Provided you have the latest version of BBM, discovering new channels to join and participate in couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is open BBM and tap the menu icon in the bottom-left corner followed by selecting Channels. You’ll be shown a collection of featured channels and posts that might interest you, or you can search for other channels.

Tip: The blue check mark identifies channels with authoritative content from people, brands and services.(Picture below)

When you find a channel that you would like to join, tap on it and use the Preview feature to take a peek at what content can be found inside. If you like what you see, tap Join+ along the bottom of your screen. You can now comment on posts within the channel, chat with the channel owner, and invite your BBM contacts to a channel that you think they might like. To find out more about a channel, such as when the channel owner is available for chats or what the website is, tap on the channel’s display picture.

After joining a channel, you will receive notifications whenever something new is posted or when someone has replied to or liked one of your comments. To view your channel notifications, tap the icon in the bottom-left corner, followed tapping the globe icon along the top of your screen.

Creating a BBM Channel
After joining some channels, create your own so you can share your thoughts, ideas and more. Best of all, creating your own channel is absolutely free and you have complete control of how your subscribers can interact with you by specifying chat hours and restricting comments. You can make one on your device using the steps provided below or by using the BBM Channels Manager website found at http://us.blackberry.com/bbm/bbm-channels.html

For those using BBM for Android and iPhone, this is how you can create a channel and get started. Just make sure you confirm your BlackBerry ID email address. To do so, check out KB34137.

Note: Channels that you create are associated with your BlackBerry ID and cannot be transferred to another BlackBerry ID.

How to create a BBM Channel using BlackBerry 10
1. Open BBM and tap the icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen.
2. Select Channels followed by tapping the 3 dot icon in the bottom-right of your screen.
3. Select Create Channel and provide the following required information:
*. Channel display picture
*. Channel name
*. Channel category
4. In addition to the required fields, complete the optional fields if desired.
5.Tap Save After entering your channel details, make sure you customize your channel settings. To access these settings while viewing a channel you created, tap the 3 dot icon in the bottom-right of your screen and select Channel Settings. You’ll be able to customize the following options:
*. Allow BBM Chats with You – Optionally allow your subscribers to start a BBM chat with you, even if they’re not in your contact list
*. Chat Hours – If Allow BBM Chats with You is enabled, use this option to specify when you are available to chat
*. Allow Comments on Post – Optionally prevent subscribers from leaving comments on posts in your channel
*. Approve Comments – If enabled, comments are allowed but must be approved using the BBM Channels Manager website
*. Show Channel in Search – Optionally prevent others from finding your channel using the search feature
*. Show Channel Activity in Updates – If enabled, updates applicable to this channel will appear in your BBM updates listing.

Congratulations, you’ve created a channel! Now all that’s left to do is invite your BBM contacts and share your channel PIN and Barcode. To find your channel PIN and Barcode, just click on your channel’s current display picture.

Managing a BBM Channel
When you create a channel, you have two options when it comes to managing it. You can either use your device or the BBM Channels Manager, which is a browser-based management console.
*. To manage your channel using your device, all you need to do is open your channel. Here you can view your channel stats, reported items and engage in chats with your subscribers.
*. To manage your channel using the BBM Channels Manager, visit http://us.blackberry.com/bbm/bbm-channels.html and sign in using your BlackBerry ID. After logging in, you can start engaging with your subscribers, review your stats, manage pending comments if Approve Comments is enabled, and much more.

Source

Note: This post was gotten directly from the source, no edit was made.

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