BBM continues to be a product separate from the Blackberry phones that people are still using, some as nostalgia for the “old days” and some who genuinely like what the messaging app brings to their devices. The app continues to improve and now the latest update brings a more streamlined look for its user interface, lets developers create their own bots by releasing the API, gives Google Analytics for its partners, and makes it easier for you to report unwanted friend requests.
While most of the updates on the UI are for iOS users, Android devices also get a few improvements. Groups and multi-person chats are now combined into a single view and the Discover menu is now listed rather than in the grid format. The latter makes it easier to see new services when they launch. Your updated profile picture will show up as a full image in your friends’ feeds so they don’t have to click on it anymore just to expand it.
Now that bots in messaging apps are slowly becoming a big thing, then it’s only normal that Blackberry makes the chatbot API available for BBM channel owners. They can create their own interactive software chatbot so users can chat with an actual human representative from the channel on the chat itself, instead of having to call or text them. Blackberry says they plan to bring more API initiatives over the next few months.
Lastly, the update brings you the ability to report spam requests that you’ve been receiving as friend requests, which can be one of the most annoying things. If you’re a partner with BBM, you will also get better analytics since Google Analytics has been integrated for better metrics tracking.
VIA: Crackberry
