A few days back, Blackberry INC made an update to the BBM application. I just got a chance to test the application a while ago and I’d like to state the new features I noticed.
Even before now, I have always preferred BBM to whatsapp and any other messaging app. Not just because of its simplicity, I love the privacy aspect of it. On BBM, no one knows whether or not I am online unless I update Display Picture(DP) or Display Message(DM or status).
I know on WhatsApp, there’s a way to hide your timestamp from displaying when last you were online but it deprives you of seeing your contacts’ timestamp which doesn’t seem cool to me.
With the update made to BBM, BBM app still remains the best messaging application. Until when another app surpasses BBM, BBM still rocks my chatting life lol.
Features of The Updated BBM Version 10.5.3.28
You may want to pay no attention to the version numbers, I am just going according to what was displayed on the blackberry world when I was about to update.
If you use an android, iPhone, or BB10 phone, you should have got a notification to update your BBM i.e if you haven’t done so earlier.
Here are the basic new features that come with this version of BBM:
1. Give Room For More Privacy
As earlier stated, BBM rocks if you choose privacy and as such, you can take total control of the messages and pictures you share on the new BBM app.
You can set how long contacts have access to pictures and messages shared in a chat.
2. Revoke or Retract Messages
You can now retract(revoke) messages from a chat in other to remove them from your chat and the recipient’s chat screen. Another term for this would be timed message.
You can also set a timer for how long the message should be seen by the recipient before it is automatically retracted.
However, the contact you intend to retract messages with must have an updated BBM app that supports this feature otherwise you’d be getting an error. You can choose to on or off this feature by navigating to settings » Timed Messages.
3. Quickly add stickers To Chat
Using Stickers is something I have never actually done on the bbm app. I got the smileys working for me hence I see no need for this especially when most of them are paid.
If you care to know, you can now quickly add stickers to your bbm chats by simply using the picker.
4. High-Quality HD Pictures
You can now send high-HD pictures over BBM. A Lot of people including me sorta love BBM because it compresses picture sizes when sending over BBM.
Whether or not that still stands if using the High-quality HD picture functionality is something I cannot ascertain. However, there is a way to which you can turn this on or off this feature.
Simply navigate to settings » Always accept HD Pictures.
4. BBM Bulletins Introduced
With the BBM bulletin handy, you have access to the latest BBM products and services.
Those are the basic new features I can see so far. Following the reviews on the app after the release, a lot of people seem very happy with the latest version.
I really do not know if that is same with android users because I am quite aware of the troubles android users have with bbm especially when running on a not-so-stable network.
Although there’s an option to use wallpaper when you navigate to settings but I don’t seem to have that working for me instead it redirects to stickers which end up showing ‘unavailable’.
How To Update BBM To the Latest Version
Using Blackberry 10 as the case study, launch your Blackberry World application and swipe from the edge of the left screen to the right to display some options.
Tap on ‘My World‘ and Tap on ‘My Apps & Games‘.
Tap on BBM and choose to update.
Wait till the download and installation are complete and the open button is shown and you are good to go.
What’s your take on the updated version of BBM?
Latest BBM Update For Android Gets Material Design and Private Chat Feature
Blackberry Messenger (BBM) just rolled out another update which comes with some pretty cool updates. Just like the recent WhatsApp update, Â BBM has introduced the material design interface which gives a whole new look and user interface.
The update wasn’t just about the interface design, other features like private chat, the ability to edit messages, and status updates were also introduced on the social messaging app.
According to a blog post by BlackBerry, We’ve redesigned BBM for Android from the ground up, Â using material design principles as inspiration. This means a more colorful, more eye-popping, and easier to use BBM experience that’s brand new, yet familiar.
Private Chat On BBM
The Private Chat feature gives more privacy to others. BBM pays a lot of attention to users’ privacy and the private chat feature is just another step ahead.
During the private chat mode, your contact’s name is hidden and new message notifications are turned off. That way, screenshots won’t make much meaning as the contact’s name isn’t displayed. More so, chats will automatically be deleted within a short space of time or when you end the private chat.
Edit Message
The edit message feature just like Facebook, allows you to edit messages even though they have been sent. It can be likened to the retract feature on BBM except for the fact that, this seems kinda better.
Publish Status In Feeds Tab
Sharing status updates with your contacts just got faster as this can be done right from the BBM feed instead of going through your profile.
BBM Pins Are No Longer Private
You may be asking, how do we mean BBM Pins Are No Longer private? With the latest BBM app installed, you can now chat with contacts on your phone without actually having their pin.
As we already know, whatsapp works in a way that if we have a contact stored on our phone and the person is a user of whatsapp, we can directly chat with them on whatsapp as long as the number is registered on whatsapp. That’s exactly what BBM has actually turned out to be.
For example, if you are a user of BBM and I have your number stored on my phone, I can actually chat with you even without having to send you a BBM request.
Good thing is, People who you haven’t officially accepted on BBM, cannot see your BBM display picture, see your BBM status updates and can neither make or receive calls with you via BBM voice.
How Do I Differentiate My BBM Contacts From Phone Contacts?
When you navigate to your contacts list on BBM, you’d find BBM contacts and just ‘Contacts’. The BBM contacts are the contacts you already have on your BBM.
That is, you already sent a BBM request to them and they’ve already accepted you. Contacts, on the other hand, are your phone contacts who use BBM.
Extra Tip: The retracting message feature still works well on the latest version and not on the subscription plan as most people speculated. You can also simply hide the BBM sticker options.
With this development, do you think BBM has lost privacy? Personally, I think No.
The fact that BBM pins are no longer private, it doesn’t mean privacy has been lost. Since contacts cannot see if I am online or not, they shouldn’t get upset if I choose not to reply to their pings.
Please note, this update is now available for Android OS users. This update is available for Blackberry 10 phone users as well. Â Visit your phone’s app store to update the BBM app and enjoy more privacy.
