BlackBerry lets developers put BBM in apps with publicly available SDK

Software maker BlackBerry has put an SDK online with which developers can integrate its chat platform BBM into their own apps. This allows apps to use their own version of BlackBerry Messenger. The position is paid.

It is possible to enable only text chats, but also chat via voice and video is possible, according to the Canadian company. The BBM Enterprise SDK has been available as a limited test since earlier this year and about 60 companies have started working with it in that test.

Because the use of the Messenger services costs money per user, it will not pay for consumer applications to build in, writes Venturebeat. Embedding written chat messages costs $29 per user per year, for the option with voice and video, developers pay $79 per user per year.

The BBM Enterprise SDK is available to build Android and iOS apps. The market for secure business chat services has grown significantly in recent years. In addition to general business chat services such as Hipchat, Slack and Microsoft Teams, many specialized chat services have also been added, for example for healthcare.