Citing “multiple trusted sources,”, BGR is reporting that Research In Motion could port its BlackBerry Messenger app to both Android and iOS. The decision appears to be in response to the growing popularity of apps that offer similar functionality for different platforms (eg, WhatsApp and Kik).
RIM is still working on the strategy and details. At this time, it appears that the Android and iOS versions would offer a stripped down experience. The full experience would remain exclusively on BlackBerry devices.
The Android version could be out as early as later this year. Specific timing and pricing have not been determined but RIM could offer BBM for free. A one-time fee or a recurring fee options are still on the table though.