BlackBerry Messenger
Born 2005. Died 31 May 2019.
BlackBerry Messenger passed on 31 May 2019, having lived fourteen years as the messenger that made a BlackBerry worth carrying. Born in 2005, it offered free messaging between BlackBerry users. The pin. The delivered check. The read receipt. At its peak it was the reason to buy the phone. The iPhone arrived. BlackBerry did not adapt. The company licensed BBM to other platforms. It arrived on Android and iOS too late. A partnership with a tech company kept it running. In April 2019 the shutdown was announced. Users had until 31 May to download their data. On that day the consumer service went dark. He is survived by BBM Enterprise, which charges for what was free, and by the memory of a time when a keyboard and a messenger were enough.
Despite our best efforts, users have migrated to other platforms. We have made the difficult decision to shut down BBM.
Outlived its moment
Mourned by Those who typed on a BlackBerry, users who learned that BBM meant you mattered, and anyone who remembers when a message could feel like a handshake.
BBM Enterprise, which charges for what was free; WhatsApp, which replaced it; and the memory of a time when a keyboard and a messenger were enough.