BBM Voice Chat and BBM Channels now available to iPhone and Android

A new version of BBM will be available later today for Android, iPhone and BlackBerry 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, as well as access BBM Channels.

In addition, BBM customers on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry 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.

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BBM to evolve into interest based mobile social network through Channels

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

With 80 million worldwide users, BlackBerrys now cross-platform BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) is evolving into its own social engagement platform within BBM. BBM Channels is expected to come out of beta testing and will offer BlackBerry users the opportunity to create their own personal or brand channels. Interested followers can subscribe to these channels much like how people follow others on Facebook or on Twitter. BBM Channels can be verified so as to avoid fakes and channels can be set up for specific events like concerts, sporting events and conferences. This allows for focused, user-targeted and noise-free communications.

BlackBerry OS 5 and above and BlackBerry 10 through BlackBerry World. BlackBerry users can simply update to the newest version of BBM to have access to the BBM Channels beta when it becomes available later today.

Update on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 1:16PM by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Some sources say the BBM Channels feature will rollout in updates to the BBM app starting 3 PM Eastern Today.