BlackBerry released a new version of BlackBerry messenger Friday that boasts timed messages, HD picture transfer, message retraction and more.
The update will be available to BlackBerry, Android and iOS users within the next few days, but the handset maker did not make any announcements about when the Windows Phone version would be updated.
"These new enhancements to BBM were highly requested so we're excited to be delivering them to users today," said John Sims, president of Global Enterprise Services at BlackBerry. "These capabilities will allow our users to be more creative in how they deliver their messages while also being confident that their content is kept private and seen only by its intended recipient."
BlackBerry seems to be taking a cue from Snapchat with the timed messages feature, with the message being hidden until the recipient touches and holds the chat. The message will then appear for the designated amount of time, after which it will disappear. The sender of the image will also get a notification if the recipient takes a screenshot of it.
Another interesting feature is the ability for message senders to remove messages from BBM chat either before or after the message recipient read it. This should give users more control over their privacy.
Timed messages have become a popular concept after they were introduced by Snapchat in 2011 and quickly rose to popularity. A number of messaging services have added the feature, with more likely to join in the near future.
The messaging features will be free to BBM users for the next three months, but after the three months is up they will be included in a subscription bundle. BlackBerry has not said how much that bundle will cost.
"Timed Messages and Message Retraction are premium features that will be available free and without restriction to BBM users over the next three months," said a statement from the company. "After this time, unrestricted access to these features will become part of a broader bundle of features that will be offered as part of a BBM subscription."
BlackBerry has been talking about monetizing BBM for a while now, but no details have been released yet. The company will need to find new revenue streams beyond smartphone sales, as sales of BlackBerry smartphones have severely dropped over the past few years. With 91 million active BBM users, if each of them had paid a $2.50 fee, BlackBerry would have made a profit during its second quarter, which ended on Aug. 30.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen stressed the need to focus on revenue growth in the company's last financial statement.
