[The Next Web] BlackBerry says BBM for Android and iOS passed 20m users in the last week, pushing BBM’s total userbase past 80m

After rolling out BBM for Android and iOS last week, BlackBerry today announced more than 20 million users are actively using the app for the two platforms. Furthermore, the Canadian company also revealed that BBM now has over 80 million monthly active users across BlackBerry, Android, and iOS.

It’s worth noting that this milestone is different than BBM for Android and iOS hitting 5 million downloads in 8 hours, and 10 million in 24 hours. BlackBerry is now talking about active users: meaning it is not measuring those who downloaded its app but didn’t continue using it.

Here is BlackBerry explaining the change:

Clearly, the momentum of BBM for BlackBerry, Android and iPhone continues to grow and while we are excited by the download numbers we saw this week, downloads do not speak to the way people interact with each other using BBM and we will now focus on active use of BBM – the connections being made and the conversations in which our BBM community engages.

BlackBerry of course defines monthly active users as you’d expect: those who “send or receive any data through the BBM service within a given 30-day period.” It’s safe to assume that most people who downloaded BBM for Android or iOS used it at least once or twice.

A fraction likely downloaded it but didn’t bother adding any contacts or sending any messages, but most likely did. The real test will be to see how this 20 million figure changes over the course of the next few months: will BBM’s current monthly active users on other mobile platforms keep using the app or will they get bored and move on?

See also – BlackBerry does ‘not approve of or condone’ the fishy BBM for Android reviews, denies any involvement and Hands-on with BlackBerry’s BBM app for iOS

Top Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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