Another update for BBM app for Iphone and iOS on 2nd June 2014

BlackBerry announced new update for its BBM app for Iphone and other supported iOS device at 2nd June 2014 ago. The update consists the followings, according to BlackBerry:

BBM App version 2.2.0.19:

• Simple sign up for new BBM users
• New sign in screen for existing BBM users
• Improved experience for adding new BBM contacts by email
• Updates tab has been re-named ‘Feeds’
• 16 new emoticons
• Bug fixes and performance improvements

So for those of you who until now still use the old version of BBM app, why not update your BBM app to the latest one? It's FREE (of course) and worth upgrading.

Here is the download link on the App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/bbm/id690046600?mt=8

After upgrading to the latest one, one thing directly noticeable is the new full screen BBM logo when first time opening the BBM app (if you couldn't find it that means you have it opened on the background, try to close the BBM app from the task manager and reopen it).
This is the new full screen BBM logo that appears everytime the BBM app open for the first time:

Also for the first time after updating to this version, you will be prompted to personalize your profile, asking you to give photo to your profile.

And another thing noticeable is the 3rd tab which is now renamed to "Feeds" where previously it was named as "Updates".

However the contents of "Feeds" (formerly "Updates") are the same: All, Contacts and Channels.

And "Updates" on the left menu is also updated to "Feeds" as shown below.
 

About performance improvements, do you feel the BBM app performance getting better and faster?
To me, I feel more or less the same as the previous version and even this version is slower to get to contact and start chatting compared to previous version because of the new full screen BBM logo that appearing every time this BBM app is started for the first time.

And if you are actually checking your iPhone memory usage, after quite sometime, depends on how active you are using BBM app for chatting/voice call and depends on how many contacts you have in your BBM, BBM app can and will grow from 50+MB (original size when installed) to almost 1GB!
You may want to check your usage by going through iPhone Settings app > General > Usage and find BBM app. You may be surprise on your finding.
So few things/features that current version of BBM app is still lacking are:

• delete history, including chat, photo transfer
• delete cache. your contact photos and previous photos (if they changed their photos) are kept by the BBM apps somewhere in your iPhone

Hopefully they (BlackBerry) will incorporate these features in their next release.
But don't worry, until that happen, I already find a way to reduce your BBM app size. So stay tuned because I'm compiling everything and will post it on future post. Thanks!

BBM BlackBerry Messenger for iphone now supports stickers

As of 1st April 2014, I heard the news that BlackBerry (formerly RIM) has just update their messaging app, BBM, with supports of stickers (just like LINE Messaging App from Naver).

The stickers are also download-able, just like it's rival, LINE.

However as of now 11pm (GMT+8), I haven't found any updates yet for BBM in the AppStore. Perhaps they (BlackBerry) rolled it region by region and it has not reach US region (my Apple ID is US based Apple ID).

So stay tuned, I will certainly update the post once it comes out.

Hopefully it is not an April fool's joke.

Update: 

As on 2nd April 2014 8.00am (GMT+8), the application updates for BBM can be seen on Apple AppStore update page.

Here is the AppStore link for you to download:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bbm/id690046600?mt=8

Application version that has sticker updates on it is version 2.1.0.57

Device support

So, according to the information detail, it is still supporting iOS 6 devices, so:

iPhone 3GS and up are supported

iPad 2nd gen and up are supported

For those have iDevice with iOS 5 or below, you are out of luck currently. But who ever knows if BlackBerry will eventually release BBM app for these iDevices with iOS 5 and below just like what it did for android - releasing BBM App for gingerbread (old version of Android)

In-App purchases

If you notice, BlackBerry is now having In-App purchases for its BBM app.

These In-App purchases is currently used for selling the stickers

New Welcome Screen

When you successfully updated the BBM App, you will be shown a new cute welcome screen

Stickers

Don't worry be happy! Not all stickers is for sale. 

As for now, BlackBerry is giving 2 sets of stickers for free.

1. BBM Stickers

This is basically BBM emoticon being oversized.

2. WWE Superstars

This is the 2nd set of free stickers. Do you know these WWE Superstars?

These below are paid stickers

Currently there are only 3 paid stickers available for sale.

These characters are funny but not as funny as those coming from LINE messaging App (Brown and Cony if you know)

The price tag they put for the stickers is also the same as LINE sticker price tag, each a $1.99

1. CosCat

2. Gilbert's Tales

3. Bubble Bot

Hopefully and certainly BlackBerry will keep updating the stickers so it will be more fun to chat via BBM.

And hopefully this update - bringing stickers - is not slowing down the overall performance of the BBM App itself.

How to use the Stickers

To use the stickers, simply do the following:

1. pick one of your friend in the contact list

2. Click on the yellow emoticon button

3. Then you will see new menus with 3 buttons: trolley button, emoticon button and emoticon with dots all over it. 

4. Click the last one

5. If you haven't bought anything yet, it will redirect you to the BBM Shop where you can see all the available stickers

6. Download or buy one of them, then you are good to go

7. This is the screen showing how it looked like when the sticker is sent

Blackberry has just launched an update for its BBM application for iPhone version 2.0.0.31

A bit late and old news for some, but Blackberry, on Feb 13, 2014 has just launched a new version of its BBM Messaging apps for iPhone and all the supported iDevices. The version stated as version 2.0.0.31.

If you haven't installed the new one, better to open your AppStore and install the update, as this update bring not only bug fixes but also new features which is good such as the-most-noticable one is the ability to do voice call using data, the rest as listed below:

New features:
1. Free voice call. You can make phone call via data (3G/LTE) or Wifi using BBM now. No video call at this point of time though.
2. Channels. To me, it's just like Facebook wall where you can post anything you wanted and your friends will be able to see them.
3. Better sharing options. Now you can share contact, photos, voice notes from your iPhone or linked dropbox account.
4. Live Location sharing

BBM Notification Not Working on Iphone (No Popup Notification)

BBM notification is not working? Or
BBM notification is not popping up like the image shown?

The first aid kit for this issue is to try the following things:

1. Make sure you have the latest version of BBM install on your iPhone

Click the following link to download from iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bbm/id690046600

2. Make sure you turn ON one of the following setting under Notification settings

Go to Settings > Notifications. Look for BBM App. Go to next step please.

3. Make sure you turn the Notification Center to ON

Only if you want the BBM App to appear in your Notification Center.

If you turn it OFF, whenever new message to your BBM is coming, it will not be shown on Notification Center.

4. Make sure you turn set the Alert Style to "Banners" or "Alerts"

If you want the BBM Notification to popup whenever you get your new message, make sure to set the Alert Style to either one of "Banners" or "Alerts".

Do NOT set it to "None". Otherwise you won't get the notification of new message popped up.

5. Make sure you turn on Badge App Icon

Only if you want the notification to appear as number on the right side of your BBM App icon (notification is shown in number, in the image you see "5" which means you have 5 new unread messages).

6. Turn ON "View in Lock Screen" as well

If you want the new message coming to be popped up on your lock screen when your iPhone is in locked position (turned off).

Congratulations!

Now you should be able to have the BBM Notification up and running on your iPhone!

(sorry to use Android screenshot instead of iPhone screenshot)

You do NOT need to take a look at below post if your BBM Notification issue is already gone!

Additional Steps:

The following steps needed only if all the 6 ways above still could not make the BBM notification to appear on your iPhone. Here are the additional steps:

1. Kill the BBM App. 

Double press the home button to active the iPhone task switcher, kill the BBM App.

After kill the app, do not re-open it yet. Ask your friend to send you BBM message.

See if the notification is now appearing after you kill the BBM App.

If the new message is appearing, follow these steps:

a. Open the BBM App. 

b. Then turn off your iPhone.

c. Ask your friend to BBM message you again, and after they send it, wait if the new message is coming to your iPhone or not.

d. If the new message is coming, then please skip the rest of this article. The BBM App is now can popping up your notification.

e. If the new message is NOT coming after a few minutes, follow the next steps

2. Restart your iPhone.

By restarting your iPhone, it may help fix the issue with notification not popping up.

After restarting your iPhone, redo the step 1 above and see if the problem still persists.

Hopefully now the BBM Notification can works the way it should works!

Still having issues with BBM Notification...

Still having issues with notification not popping up after following all the steps above?

Is the notification only coming / popping up whenever the BBM App is killed from the taskbar and before reopen it?

And once you reopen the BBM App and close it (put it on the background) but not kill it, the notification stop working again?

Don't you worry! I got you covered. I still have some bullets left to save you.

Let me take a break for a while and continue on it soon.

Stay tuned on the future post on how to fix the BBM Notification issue, before you re-install the BBM App and do a re-setup which will take your time and energy, s

PS: if you are wondering why the screenshots shown above is sometimes on iOS7, sometimes is iOS6 and notice any other differences, yes they are not coming from 1 device only. Some screenshots, I took them directly from my iPhone, while some of them, I grabbed it from the internet.

Do let me know if I infringe your intelectual property.

All screenshots shown is belong their respective owner.

Cheers!

Keep or Retain Your Old PIN to your New iPhone

Here's how to keep your existing iPhone BBM PIN when changing iPhone:
FYI this method is not and will not be working if you are switching from the actual BlackBerry device to iPhone

1. Backup your iPhone with iTunes
2. Remove your old iPhone from iTunes
3. Setup your new iPhone first. Our if it's not new as brand new, restore the iPhone first.
4. Plug in your new iPhone/restored iPhone to your iTunes
5. When prompted to set the iPhone as new or restore from backup, choose restore from backup
6. Wait until the restoration finish
7. Once finished, then open the BBM app. By right you should have the same PIN as your previous iPhone! Woohoo...!

Cheers!

PS: I'm sorry but since I only have 1 iPhone with me, and I used this iPhone on my daily activities, this method I share with you is actually not tested yet by myself but according to my colleagues and some folks at some forums, they made it.
Once I can do restoration on my iPhone, I'll update the post.