Blackberry set to launch BBM messaging service on iOS and Android

BlackBerry is to give its BBM software away to iPhone and Android users in a bit to boost its popularity and stop consumers switching to rival handsets.

Speaking at BlackBerry Live - a three-day annual event in Orlando - BlackBerry's CEO Thorsten Heins said the firm's popular BBM messaging software will be available on the iPhone and Android handsets for the first time.

The BBM messaging service will arrive on the iPhone and Android in the summer for free- if Apple and Google approve it.

BBM voice, screen sharing, video and channels will be added later, allowing the firm to compete with Google Talk and Apple's iMessage.

However, it will also face competition from newer services such as WhatsApp and Snapchat which are hugely popular.

The messaging service is hugely popular among users, with more than 60 million active monthly users.

CEO Thorsten Heins said the time is right to offer BBM on rival devices.