RIM Confirms BBM iOS App Summer Release, iPads Not Supported

BlackBerry has once again confirmed that a BBM app for iOS will hit the App Store this summer, though the messaging application will initially not be available to iPad owners, TrustedReviews reports. Vivek Bhardwaj, Head of the BlackBerry Software Portfolio said that the app will only work on iPhones running iOS 6 or higher, while not ruling out a potential BBM iPad app in the near future.

While describing the company’s decision to avoid iPad and other tablets in order to focus the BBM app launch on smaller devices, Bhardwaj said that the company’s focus right now is getting BBM onto popular smartphones. “When you start looking at tablets, computers and other screens, the usage model changes”, he added.

While smartphones are the focus for the first phase of BBM app rollouts, Bhardwaj has hinted that eventually the messaging service could be rolled out across all manner of connected devices, with the automotive industry and even Smart TVs two areas currently being explored.

“I think when you look at things like Smart TVs and desktops, those are definitely areas for exploration,” the BlackBerry software head told us.

Bhardwaj also noted that tablet users could face a bit of a wait because BlackBerry “sees the oversized devices as a difficult nut to crack” in terms of the mobile messaging.