Blackberry BBM Service is Coming to iPhone’s & Androids.

The only thing that may have held so many iPhone and Android lovers from tossing their Blackberry’s was the infamous BBM service that the phone provided. But according to the company’s vice president it looks as if the BBM service will be accessible to iPhone and Android owners in the near future.

Announcing the move at the company’s developer conference, software vice president Andrew Bocking said: “the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community.”

Chief executive Thorsten Heins called the move “a statement of confidence”. BlackBerry says that BBM has more than 60 million monthly active users, with more than 51 million using BBM for an average of 90 minutes per day. Its customers collectively send and receive more than 10bn messages daily, with almost half read within 20 second of being received, it said.

The free app will be available once approved for Apple’s iOS 6 software released last year and devices running Android 4.0 or higher, released in late 2011.