It might be time to move on from BBM. The consumer version of BBM is officially dying at the end of May.
In a blog post, Emtek (the company that has taken over running the BBM app since 2016) has announced that it will end support for the messaging app on May 31st, citing fleeting users over the past years despite efforts to revitalize the app with features like Uber hailing and video calling.
"Today we're announcing that we will be closing BBM consumer service on 31 May 2019," the company wrote in a blog.
"Three years ago, we set out to reinvigorate BBM consumer service, one of the most loved instant messaging applications, as a cross-platform service where users can not only chat and share life experiences, but also consume content and use payment services.
"We poured our hearts into making this a reality, and we are proud of what we have built to date ... The technology industry however, is very fluid, and in spite of our substantial efforts, users have moved on to other platforms, while new users proved difficult to sign on."
"Though we are sad to say goodbye, the time has come to sunset the BBM consumer service, and for us to move on."
Those using the enterprise version of the app, called BBMe, will continue operations as normal. If you really miss BBM and want to keep using it, you can also download the enterprise version on Android and iOS for free, but there is a $2.50 subscription fee for every six months.
BBMe does offer end-to-end encryption and message editing / unsending where the consumer version didn't, so it may be worth the dollars if you're still an avid BBM believer.
But if, like most people, you've already moved on, then let us all remember a moment in time when it was considered cool to tell people to find you on an app with your unique 'BBM Pin'.
