BlackBerry’s just announced that come summertime its BlackBerry Messenger service will be available as a downloadable app for iOS and Android devices.  Very soon, texts, photo messages and group sharing functions will be available to iOS and Android users when they download the BBM app, while BlackBerry also plans to add screen sharing, voice and video calls at a later date.

Does this move come as a surprise?  Well, just a bit, since the BBM service is essentially what drove people to use its devices.  It’s a convenient way for BlackBerry users to keep in contact with other BlackBerry users without paying any additional charges.  For a long time, it BlackBerry’s walled garden and the main reason that so many people bought its phones. But then along came chat apps such as WhatsApp, Viber, Snapchat that offer the same kind of thing, only they’re arguably better since users can keep in contact with a lot more people on various different platforms.

So now, the BBM wall has crumbled.

BlackBerry knows that their devices aren’t as popular as they used to be.  Not everyone is dying to get a BlackBerry.  People now have more options when it comes to smartphones. And with chat apps available, who needs BBM?

So the real question is, why did BlackBerry decide to do this now?

“It’s a statement of confidence,” replies CEO Thorsten Heins. “The Blackberry 10 platform is so strong and the response has been so good that we are confident the time is right for Blackberry Messenger to become an independent multiplatform messaging solution.”

3 Reasons why BBM is rolling out to iOS and Android:

Make people stay

The beauty and curse of BBM is that it’s only for BlackBerry users.  When BlackBerrys were a hot commodity, their walled garden worked for them.  But with people choosing iPhones and other Android devices like the Samsung Galaxy line, BlackBerry users have no use for BBM other than communicating with other BlackBerry users, unless they download chat apps.  Opening its BBM walls seems like the best way of keeping people from embracing other chat apps.

Promote its brand

When people get wind of this, it might just cause them to want to look at other BlackBerry services and products.  This could possibly lead to a boost device sales, or at least make it known to consumers that they’re still alive and kicking in the mobile device race.

Trump other chat apps

BBM was around long before any of these other chat apps started popping.  As I’ve mentioned a few times already, it’s only for BlackBerry users.  Even so, you can’t deny that the service is pretty cool, and knowing BlackBerry, the app should be pretty popular since it’s known for delivering secure services.