Yes, you read that right. While it may not seem like such a huge deal, it's so geekily awesome. Now you can spice up your BBM Channel with your own bit of flair by using an animated GIF instead of a basic static image on your posts. 

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For the past little while now there have been bits and pieces of BlackBerry OS 10.2 turning up in the CrackBerry Forums for those of you out there who are adventurous and wish to try things out. Previously we saw BlackBerry Maps updates, Camera updates and Facebook updates. Now BlackBerry Messenger 10.2.0.12 has turned up and brings along with it BBM Channels without the need to install it separately. Though, I'm not sure if that's much of an advantage, given you need to sideload this file anyhow.

Like all things leaked, should you decide to sideload this, you do so at your own risk. Things could get messy or they could turn out perfectly fine. As for what devices this can run on, it has been tested on both the BlackBerry Q10 and the BlackBerry Z10. Need more info? Head on into the CrackBerry Forums and don't forget to check out the CrackBerry BBM channel when you get BBM Channels loaded up. PIN C00012B19.

Download the leaked BBM 10.2.0.12

Just like that BlackBerry has crushed the rumor that cross-platform BBM will be arriving on June 27th. While BBM is still set to go cross-platform with Android and iOS later this summer, it won't be happening at the end of June.

We had some reservations since it wasn't an official announcement and sure enough the rumors are not true.

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*UPDATE* - We've received an official statement from BlackBerry on the rumors, which are unfortunately not true. Read the statement here. 

We've been hearing rumors about the release of cross-platform BBM for the last few days, and it looks like the date may have just been pinned down. The T-Mobile UK Twitter account this morning let the world know that BBM will be coming to Android and iOS devices on June 27th.

Now we're not sure if this is an epic slip by Tmo or if we can count it as fact, but regardless it looks very promising that BBM may go cross-platform in just a few weeks.

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Chances are, you've seen some postings around the internet regarding a download site for a BBM beta for Android and iOS. That's because someone cleverly disguised a website recently and made it look as though it was an official BlackBerry site. The site looks genuine enough and even offers a download with an iOS .ipa file along with an Android .apk file but we assure you, it's not legit. In fact, it pretty much screams computer virus. We're not going to link to it but it's hosted on some free web site and will hopefully, be yanked down soon.

Luckily, whoever packed it up also password locked it and directs folks to a download page. The download page itself is where the virus comes from so, do avoid it. If you're really looking to be alerted when BBM for Android and iOS goes live, then you can sign up at the official BlackBerry page or just stay tuned here and we'll let you all know when it's really available, in release or beta form.

Sign up to be notified when BlackBerry Messenger is available for Android and iOS

If you have no clue what BBM Channels are, make sure you read this post first.

If you're starting to fall into the groove with BBM Channels, you may now be searching for even more channels to subscribe to. While there is a section within BBM that lists featured channels, there is no other way to discover new ones that may interest you. Of course you're all following our official CrackBerry channel, Kevin, Bla1ze and myself already (if not you should be) so what next?

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BBM is going cross-platform this summer - do you think it's a good idea?

Last week at BlackBerry Live is was announced that BBM will finally be going cross-platform this summer. Android and iOS users will soon be able to get in on the best messaging service around and easily keep in touch with their BlackBerry friends. At first it will just be straight-up messaging, but soon to follow will be full features like BBM Voice and BBM Video.

We've seen arguments both for and against cross-platform over the years. Some argue that it's a bad move for BlackBerry, while others think it's a great move for many reasons. Whatever your stance, it's going to happen in just a few months, so only time will tell.

Nearly two years ago we asked you if BBM needed to go cross-platform. Out of all the votes, an amazing 71% of you said that yes, BBM should indeed be available to everyone. Only around 25% said it was a bad idea, while almost 4% were undecided. 

Now that it's been announced for real we want to know your thoughts again. BBM is going cross platform soon - we can't change that. What we want to know is if you think cross-platform BBM is a good idea or not? Let us know in the poll below then sound off in the comments.

Do you think BBM should go cross-platform?

 

While reading through BlackBerry-related news yesterday, I saw a post that our friend Ronen published on BerryReview pertaining to BBM Money.

Here’s whats new: In the first 90 days since launching BBM Money in Indonesia, the service has in excess of 60,000 users registered.  It’s not exactly a huge number, but apparently the target is to grow this user base to 200,000 by the end of the current year.  Sounds like they are well on their way to achieving this goal.

Keep in mind BBM Money can only be used by BlackBerry customers today.  And it can only be used to send money between BBM users, or to top up your mobile account.  It only exists in Indonesia today, where most BlackBerry hardware is running the legacy BBOS, and the devices don’t have features such as near field communications (NFC) to permit “tap to pay” type functionality.

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In a recent interview, ex-co-CEO of BlackBerry Mike Lazaridis commented on BlackBerry Messenger going cross-platform. As you might expect, he figures BBM stands a good chance at succeeding on iOS and Android. 

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So BlackBerry Messenger is finally going cross platform, eh? For quite some time now most of you at CrackBerry Nation have believed this should happen. In fact during 2010 (when the stock was still around $60), CrackBerry ran a poll asking you all if the company should take BBM cross platform.

Guess what?  A whopping 71% of you said yes, it should go cross platform. Our own fearless leader, Kevin, is clearly on record saying BBM should be opened up. Here’s what he wrote in November 2010:

”So should RIM do it? Personally, I think they should. I get the reasons why they wouldn't. RIM makes money from selling smartphones, and right now BlackBerry Messenger is one of those hooks that keeps people on BlackBerry and actually attracts some people to BlackBerry (I've heard stories from carrier reps where individuals walk into the store and ask for the phone that does BBM). But I don't think this reasoning holds up long-term. As soon as a cross-platform BBM-style client emerges in the smartphone space and attains critical mass (ie. Kik or another), even if not as fully-featured as BlackBerry Messenger the hook of BBM starts to diminish.“

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On the day when BlackBerry announced that BBM is going cross platform to support both iOS and Android, we had the lucky opportunity to sit down with Gary Klassen.

If you're not familiar with Gary Klassen, you should read this article we posted back in 2011, where we gave Gary the CrackBerry salute for being the Inventor of BlackBerry Messenger. That's right, Gary literally wrote version 1.0 of BBM. We owe a lot to him! Then be sure to hit up the video above as we discuss today's BBM news with Gary. 

BBM Channels was announced during the Live Keynote session at BlackBerry Live 2013. BBM Channels allows you to communicate with others and your followers. You can create a channel for yourself, a brand, business or community, where people can then follow and get direct updates from you.

Key features of BBM Channels:

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Announced today during BlackBerry Live 2013, BBM is set to go cross-platform this summer.  That means BlackBerry, iOS and Android users will able be able to chat seamlessly over BBM very soon.

Cross-platform BBM is long overdue but is sure to make for plenty of happy BlackBerry users in just a few months.

The rollout will first include just chat, but soon to follow will be BBM Voice, BBM Video and even BBM Channels. Users on iOS and Android will get the same features of BBM that BlackBerry users already have so it should be pretty exciting. Best of all? It will still be totally free.

Plenty more on this to come soon so stay tuned!

Press Release

BBM for iOS and Android to Launch This Summer

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 14, 2013) - BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY)(TSX: BB) today announced plans to make its ground-breaking mobile social network, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), available to iOS® and Android™ users this summer, with support planned for iOS6, and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher, all subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. BBM sets the standard for mobile instant messaging with a fast, reliable, engaging experience that includes delivered and read statuses, and personalized profiles and avatars. Upon release, BBM customers would be able to broaden their connections to include friends, family and colleagues on other mobile platforms.

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So BBM Channels has been announced and if you've fired it up you'll certainly be looking for some good channels to follow, right? Well you're in luck because we've had a chance to play around a bit and already have some channels up and running. 

Kevin, Bla1ze and I all created out own personal channels that you can follow, and of course we have an official CrackBerry channel as well. While each of us will send out updates for plenty of random things, we'll keep the CrackBerry channel straight up BlackBerry with news, updates and all kinds of BlackBerry-filled goodness. 

If you're in on the beta (Details soon) you can subscribe to our channels by searching the PIN below within BBM Channels

• Kevin: C00010BC5
• Bla1ze: C00015DD7
• Adam: C000184EE
• CrackBerry: C00012B19
• Michelle: C0001B3B5

For more on BBM Channels, check out the announcement post here. 

During BlackBerry Live 2013 today, BlackBerry has announced a new service within BBM dubbed BBM Channels. Building on to the already feature-packed BBM, BBM Channels gives users a new way to communicate and stay in touch with people, communities and brands through BBM. 

BBM Channels allows users to create channels for themselves, a brand, business or community and extend their social networking through BBM. You have the ability to create and share posts that can be shared with all of your channel subscribers. 

BBM Channels launches in beta today and select partners already have channels available. Updates will roll out every few weeks and BBM Channels will officially launch this summer. 

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The BlackBerry Z10 has been available in the UAE for some time now but it wasn't until very recently that I discovered that BlackBerry 10 users there are missing a couple of the new OS's best features. BBM Video and BBM Voice are currently blocked in the region so those folk who have picked up a Z10 don't get the full BlackBerry 10 experience that the rest of us have been accustomed to.

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It's rare that I add a contact to BBM by any method other than entering their PIN, so I often forget that there are a few different ways to get the job done.

When I travel to a conference or head to a meet up, I get the chance to use the good ol' barcode scanner or NFC to add contacts to BBM.

What's surprising is that not everyone is aware of how to add a contact to BBM by these methods - or maybe even at all. 

So while most of you already know how to add a contact to BBM by PIN or email, we'll take a quick look at all of the methods so you can become a BBM master in no time.

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We invited. We accepted. BlackBerry Messenger on BlackBerry 10 conquered. 

The long awaited, much anticipated BlackBerry 10 BBM Stress Test is officially over.

Conclusion? BlackBerry 10 running on the BlackBerry Z10 passed the test with flying colors. We absolutely slammed our Z10 with BBM invites. From there, we accepted the requests until we hit BBM's max capacity of contacts, eventually capping out as high as 2072. 

Once the invite dust settled, we spent a day using the Z10 under "normal conditions" and the usability and performance of the device was unaffected. Everything worked 100% as it should. The only difference was that with over 2,000 eager to chat contacts now on our BBM list, our productivity dropped to zero as we spent the day talking and putting BBM Video Chat to use. :)

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5:50PM UPDATE: OK Folks, things have been going crazy awesome today. We got flooded with requests by the thousands. They're still coming in. We maxxed out the contacts approved at over 2,050. We have hundreds of chats going, BBM Video Chat is holding up, as is the whole device. Overall, the Z10 and BB10 are passing the BBM Stress Test with flying colors. We have more testing to do but we're stopping for a dinner break (we're going to toss in a fresh battery and see how fast it drains given the amount of BBM stuff we have going on). Were turning off the live stream now, but we'll keep recording video updates and be following up with a big summary post and conclusion video. 

HUGE THANKS to everyone who participated. If you haven't been approved yet, the odds are you won't be approved as a contact because we've pretty much reached the cap for contacts (though we will keep trying). 

Thanks again for all the love and support to day. CrackBerry Nation FTW!!!

This is it. The BBM Stress Test is on! If you're reading this and have a BlackBerry in your hand, open up BBM and add me as a contact. You can either scan the barcode above or add me via my PIN. Don't wait. Do it. Do it now!

If you're not sure what this is all about, add me to BBM right now, then read this article about the BBM Stress Test and what it's all about. 

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We stumbled across this one in the CrackBerry forums earlier and couldn't help but pass it along.

As you may or may not know, BBM has an option to share what music you listen to in the media player as your status update. This feature is disabled by default but if you happened to toggle it on at some point, it can of course be disabled if you know where to look.

As it turns out it's a good idea to disable it if you plan to share anything other than what music you're listening to.

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You've been asking for it.  And now that the BlackBerry Z10 is available from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the USA, we're going to do it. The BBM Stress Test is happening! Join in by visiting CrackBerry.com at 12 Noon EDT on Monday, April 1st, 2013 and invite me to be a BBM contact!

Head to the BBM Stress Test post here and add Kevin to BBM!!

This isn't an April Fools' Day joke in the making. Come Monday, April 1st at 12 Noon EDT, the BBM Stress Test is ON!

I promised a long time ago we would conduct our infamous BBM Stress Test again on the BlackBerry Z10. I've been putting it off though because I wanted to make sure as much of CrackBerry Nation as possible could participate in the BBM Stress Test with their very own Z10 in hand.

With the Z10 now available in much of the world, including the USA, the time is right to get it done!

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Good news today for BlackBerry 5/6/7 users - BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has received a wee update to version 7.0.1.23 and it brings BBM Voice to OS5 users. That may well be an old OS now, but I still see so many people around London talking and texting on their BlackBerry Curve 8520's.

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BBM has once again been updated in the BlackBerry Beta Zone bringing along some fixes as well as support for OS 5.0 devices. Nothing shiny and new this time, but it's always fun to grab a new update. 

Latest updates include:

• Performance & stability fixes
• Support for devices running OS 5.0
• Faster call setup for BBM Voice sessions
• Improved device accessory handling (Bluetooth and headset integration)
• BBID setup and integration improvements 

If you're a Beta Zone member you can login now and should see the download available.

More information in the BlackBerry Beta Zone 

It was rumored for a while that a payment service using BBM would be avaible for users in some markets, and it is finally launching in Indonesia with help from PermataBank and Monitise. The BBM Money service lets you create and access a mobile money account from your BlackBerry and make real-time payments to your BBM contacts (providing they also use the serivce). You can also transfer money to other bank accounts and even buy mobile airtime for your device. Check out the full video above for a look at BBM Money in action and let us know what you think in the comments!

All eyes in India may well be on today's BlackBerry Z10 launch which is taking place in just a few hours, but BlackBerry are also getting loved up about BBM. Over on their Facebook page, BlackBerry are offering the good people of India the chance to win dinner for two and in addition, the romantic liaison will be filmed and premiered exclusively on the Facebook page.

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A new version of BBM has hit the BlackBerry Beta Zone today. Version 7.0.1.16 isn't sporting many new features but it does come with some bug fixes and a few tweaks. This is for OS 7 and lower devices (no BB10) so if you're a Beta Zone member you can login now and should see the program available. 

Also - if you're rocking a new BlackBerry Z10, be sure to login to the Beta Zone and update your profile accordingly - just in case :-) 

Check out more in the BlackBerry Beta Zone 

BlackBerry Messenger is a great way to instantly keep in touch with people. Being able to send pictures via BBM is one of my favorite features, as you can quickly share what you're looking at without missing a beat. BlackBerry compresses images sent through BBM, which is nice if you're watching your data usage, but what about when you want a higher quality image? Luckily, there is an option to request a high quality image. The release of BlackBerry 10 saw a bit of change to the process, so check out the following tutorial to see just how it's done.

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If you’ve been a BlackBerry user you’ll know that there is a feature in BBM that allows you to update your BBM status with what music you’re listing to. The feature of showing people what you’re listening to is popular amongst BlackBerry users, more so that there was an outrage when BlackBerry removed it in the first versions on BBM that had BBM social integration.

Continue reading to see how to enable and disable the “show that I’m listening to” status updates on BlackBerry 10.

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One of the videos we posted in our extremely long and and in-depth BlackBerry Z10 review and BlackBerry 10 Review was this video demo of the new BlackBerry Messenger.

For BlackBerry 10, BBM has received a massive upgrade. The user interface has been updated to go with the flow of BlackBerry 10. A key change here is that BBM Groups gets a little more in your face, which is a good thing - people should put BBM Groups to use. Of course, the real new WOW features of BlackBerry Messenger are Video Chat and Screen Sharing.

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On stage in NYC at the BlackBerry 10 launch event, we got our first real look at BlackBerry 10 BBM Video Chat with Screenshare. As BlackBerry users know, the addition of BBM Voice came recently and now that service has been expanded to video. In addition to that, you'll also be able to go ahead and share your screen with other. What ever is on your screen, start a BBM Video Chat transition into Screenshare and you're good to go. So awesome and so many use case scenarios. Check out the video above and stay tuned as we'll be bringing you all a further look.