iPhone Apps vs. Android Apps 2014: BBM Application Changes, Develops on New Platforms

Smartphone users who have BBM app -- the Blackberry messaging and voice calling app -- are all looking at the same screen layout based on a singular design from the app's maker.

Blackberry President John Sims told N4BB that a change to make the app unique to the user interface is in the works.

The BBM experience on iPhone and Android "needs to be more of a native app experience," Sims told N4BB. "You can expect to see that manifest itself in our Android and iPhone BBM apps."

Currently, the app has a uniform look across a variety of user interfaces including Apple iOS, Google Android and Microsoft Windows, and mirrors the user interface on Blackberries.

The idea behind a consistent look by previous management was to avoid confusion by users of different user interfaces, according to UberGizmo.

Blackberry recently rolled out a native Windows app that operates similarly to other apps for Windows phones, according to CNET.

"As the popularity of BBM continues to grow, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand its availability to the Windows Phone community," Sims told SlashGear. "The BBM app for Windows Phone shows our commitment to supporting cross-platform capabilities."

Despite the loss of Blackberry's golden age, its BBM app has a number of users.

CNET reported that from October 2013, when the app was released, to the end of that year more than 40 million new Android and iOS users had been added.

TechCrunch reported in March that Blackberry CEO John Chen said, "We have a very solid BBM monetisation plan. We're seeing a solid uptick in multi platform users, driving growth in total registration. Like last quarter, growing the BBM user base is a top priority and we have a number of initiatives driving this."

As of March, there were 85 million active users and 113 million registered users.

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