Although unlikely that this move will help the Canada-based smartphone company come out of its struggles, BlackBerry is bringing its BBM app to Apple's iPad and iPod Touch.

BlackBerry declared that it has released an update to the BBM app for iOS. Originally, the BlackBerry messaging app is only available for the iPhone, but now with the latest version it adds support for the iPad and iPod Touch. The BBM for iPhone arrived last month for free and it seems likely that the app will be a universal download this time.

BlackBerry added a couple of new features along with the expanded device support, which makes it easier to connect with your contacts. There is now a new PIN-sharing item that allows you to send your PIN as a barcode, which can be scanned by others. There is also a "Tell your friends" option that will allow you to find friends on other social networks who also on BBM. Furthermore, once you the list of your friends, you can already use the new categories to organise these contacts.

Unfortunately, the update simply runs as an iPhone app because it does not have an iPad optimised interface. However, the BBM update can still be great for fans who use iPad or iPod Touch but do not have an iPhone.

The latest BBM update includes:

  • Support for iPod and iPad
  • Invite BBM contacts to BBM Groups by Email
  • Share your BBM PIN and PIN barcode to your social networks easily
  • "Tell your friends" feature helps you connect with friends on BBM
  • Fixes an issue with missing BBM Contact name
  • Resolves some issues in right to left language support
  • Performance improvements and bug fixes

If you are a BBM user on the iPhone or an Android device, bear in mind that only one BBM account works on just one device. As such, if you wish to use the BlackBerry messaging app both on your iPhone and iPad or iPod Touch, you need to create two separate accounts.

The BlackBerry Messenger app version 1.0.4.133 is freely downloadable from the iOS App Store.

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