Facebook has released an update to its messenger platform that is said to potentially pose a serious threat to already embattled BlackBerry and its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service.
The updated Facebook Messenger app is now available for BlackBerry, in addition to iOS and Android.
While the latest Facebook apps for smartphones include native chat features, the messenger app is a standalone app that is an extension of Facebook messages.
“So all your conversations are in one place, including your texts, chats, e-mails and messages,” says Facebook. “Whether you're on your phone or on the Web, you can see the full history of all your messages.”
The update also allows users to send messages to individuals or groups, while being able to see who is online and when someone is typing. Photos and locations can also be sent via the chat service. Apart from the Internet connection fee, the messaging service is essentially free.
Unlike BBM and Apple's iMessage, contacts on the Facebook Messenger app do not have to be using the same type of phone, they must just have the app installed or be using Facebook on their computers.
According to Facebook, if a message is sent to someone who does not have the app or who is not online, it is sent as a text message to their phone.
Subtle shift
MD of World Wide Worx Arthur Goldstuck argues that claims that Facebook's Messenger could be a deathblow for BBM may be short-sighted.
“Analysts have infamously short memories,” says Goldstuck. “Every time a major new social platform or feature is announced, it is regarded as a major threat to what has gone before. In most cases, it turns out to be a subtle shift, rather than a major move.”
Competition is heating up in the mobile messaging arena, as cross-platform services, such as WhatsApp, gain momentum. Samsung has also recently released 'ChatOn', while Nokia has its own 'IM'. The addition of iMessage to iOS 5 has also fuelled speculation around the decline of BBM.
Mere hype
“The youth market is wildly fickle, and if they have moved on from Facebook to BBM, merely making Facebook more like BBM isn't going to bring them back,” notes Goldstuck, adding that it will rather increase engagement of current Facebook users with mobile chat.
“We will see rapid growth of Facebook Chat as a messaging platform, and that growth could mean slower growth for BBM. But the idea of one chat function, on one platform, being the killer of another - for example Apple seeing iMessage as a BBM killer - is mere hype of the kind one finds in boxing coverage in newspapers.
“Everyone is spoiling for a bloody fight in a small ring, when the reality is a jockeying for a position in a far broader landscape,” says Goldstuck.
MXit still on top
According to Goldstuck, in SA, MXit is still the most widely used messaging platform at present, followed by BBM - with both showing strong growth.
“iMessage is almost non-existent at this stage, since it is part of iOS 5, which is probably in use by less than 2% of the mobile market here,” says Goldstuck.
“WhatsApp is the dark horse, having come from nowhere last year to having strong mind share now - but still not significant market share.
“However, Nokia's pushing of WhatsApp from the low end, and iPhone users pushing it from the high end, in the absence of an Apple equivalent previously, means that we are seeing strong take-up right now,” says Goldstuck.
“Ultimately, instant messaging will have to be cross-platform for any one solution to become ubiquitous.”
The new Facebook Messenger app is available for download from BlackBerry App World, Android Market and the Apple App Store.
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