[jefbeard911]

Why? We're talking about additional features here. The basic functionality will continue to be free. I don't think this will draw anyone away from BBM or keep them from using it.

Security IS (or should be) a basic feature.
Don't your agree?






Sent from my awesome BlackBerry Z3 running BlackBerry 10 - 2BBEAACF

[VJgamer]

Edit: do you pay for whatsapp? NO and whatsapp is a company, not part of something like BBM and yet you see BBM trying it's best to get every penny out of the users.

Posted via CB10

I'm not sure why everyone keeps citing WhatsApp as being free.

Straight from the source: For all phone types, WhatsApp is free to download and try for the first year. After, you have the option of extending your subscription for $0.99 USD per year.


Posted via CB10

[jefbeard911]

I'm not sure why everyone keeps citing WhatsApp as being free.

Straight from the source: For all phone types, WhatsApp is free to download and try for the first year. After, you have the option of extending your subscription for $0.99 USD per year.


Posted via CB10

Good point.

But there are many,many free messaging platforms out there in addition to Whatsapp.

I keep coming back to Telegram. Free. True end-to-end encryption, self destruction messages, secret chat mode.

They are doing messaging right.

Sent from my awesome BlackBerry Z3 running BlackBerry 10 - 2BBEAACF

[eldricho]

I'm not sure why everyone keeps citing WhatsApp as being free.

Straight from the source: For all phone types, WhatsApp is free to download and try for the first year. After, you have the option of extending your subscription for $0.99 USD per year.


Posted via CB10

Strangely enough I've never ever paid for WhatsApp in the 4 years that I used it

License just renews itself every time again

Posted via CB10

[Thud Hardsmack]

You make it sound like stickers are free.

I find it hard to believe that people pay for stickers, but apparently they're doing quite well. So may whatever the bundle contains will be compelling enough.

Of course if the bundle has compelling features it could be a premium product worth a subscription based on those features alone... and they could put features that would attract casual users in the free trim level to help grow the base, which would make channels easier and more lucrative to monetize.

Posted via CB10

That's great. However, people paying for added functionality and/or options in something they're already using happens all the time. What doesn't happen quite as much - and this is the crux of the issue - is people dumping something they're using for free or at a reduced cost for something that they'd need to pay for. That usually only happens when people are unhappy with what they're using and can justify the increase.

[jefbeard911]

That's great. However, people paying for added functionality and/or options in something they're already using happens all the time. What doesn't happen quite as much - and this is the crux of the issue - is people dumping something they're using for free or at a reduced cost for something that they'd need to pay for. That usually only happens when people are unhappy with what they're using and can justify the increase.

I'm not sure if your advocating for this way of doing business or just pointing it out but..

By that logic, it's OK to charge for a previously free service as long as I was happy with the free service because I'm not in jeopardy of canceling it..Not with me anyway.

There are many things that I am happy with and are free, but if there was a charge I would discontinue. Secure messaging is one of them..too many other good choices.

I know most are not too bothered by this (pay for extra features) but it opens a door to charge for other things as well. Any smart company knows that people get used to things after awhile and take advantage of it. I remember when you didn't have to buy a data plan with your phone if you didn't want to. Now?

It's called Mission Creep in the military. You send a few "advisers" to start and in 2 years your at war and No one cares...

Sent from my awesome BlackBerry Z3 running BlackBerry 10 - 2BBEAACF

[Deitzanova]

As it is only a few people on my list use BBM. On top of that if they charge a fee then it's over. I may as well start using WhatsApp now.
In my opinion they should release a completely different app for enterprise with all the extra features. Keep the consumer side of BBM as it is ( with video on all platforms free) .

Edit: add all those paid subscription features to BBM protected or something like that.

Posted via CB10

[MarsupilamiX]

If those services are not free for BB10 users, I will stop using BBM.

Posted via CB10

[last_attempt]

All my (8) bbm contacts seem to have incompatible versions of bbm when I tried to use the timed messages, atleast that's what It said on my screen. So I'm assuming if I were willing to pay a fee for advanced features if none of my contacts were (which is guaranteed) those advanced features won't work?

Posted via CB10

[jafrul]

Tested with a friend on android.




When he sent a timed message to me, I can screenshot it and he will get notice.
But when he tried screenshot my timed message, bbm blocked him.
Was curious if the case is the same for ios bbm.

With due diligence from my Astro on Z30STA100-2/10.3.1.1016

[Thud Hardsmack]

I'm not sure if your advocating for this way of doing business or just pointing it out but..

By that logic, it's OK to charge for a previously free service as long as I was happy with the free service because I'm not in jeopardy of canceling it..Not with me anyway.

There are many things that I am happy with and are free, but if there was a charge I would discontinue. Secure messaging is one of them..too many other good choices.

I know most are not too bothered by this (pay for extra features) but it opens a door to charge for other things as well. Any smart company knows that people get used to things after awhile and take advantage of it. I remember when you didn't have to buy a data plan with your phone if you didn't want to. Now?

It's called Mission Creep in the military. You send a few "advisers" to start and in 2 years your at war and No one cares...

Sent from my awesome BlackBerry Z3 running BlackBerry 10 - 2BBEAACF

Not advocating by a long shot. I'm saying BlackBerry is not thinking straight to set a fee for services that are free elsewhere. I can't think of a single corporation or vendor that dares charge more than their competition and expect to profit from it if the product offered is nearly the same. So to clarify: BBM wants to monetize. If they charge for things free that exist on other platforms or are available to BB users, they won't be getting anything from them because those people aren't going to use BBM for those features, if at all. This leaves the existing user base to profit from, those that stay anyway:

If those services are not free for BB10 users, I will stop using BBM.

The ones that stay will justify the extra fees for various reasons, hence justifying BlackBerry to continue with Mission Creep, as you very succinctly put it. And we all know it's an SOP for thousands of companies: the customer will pay for it or leave, and as long as we don't get too greedy they won't do much more than grumble.

And I know this is more of a rant on my part, I'm a little let down and frustrated after lifting BBM up whenever I could when friends voiced frustrations with other services or gushed about a service or feature that I felt was bettered by BBM. If they monetize the features basically anyone I told about BBM will have a reaction along this line:

"Wait - I have to pay for that? I already have/can get that for free using what I have"

Or if it's a similar fee:

"Nah, I'm not signing up for that when I'm already paying for this and all my friends use it too"

[Thesmartmale]

I'm not sure why everyone keeps citing WhatsApp as being free.

Straight from the source: For all phone types, WhatsApp is free to download and try for the first year. After, you have the option of extending your subscription for $0.99 USD per year.


Posted via CB10

I never paid a penny to whatsapp, been using it next to BBM for four years now.

Edit: in the latest interview with John Chen, it was mentioned that BBM is going to make 100 million of revenue by 2016 and whatsapp only made 15 million in 2014 and look at the difference in the user base, HUGE!

BBM is turning into a vending machine!!

Posted via CB10

[TheBrandGee]

Wasn't channels going to be a revenue stream at some point?

Posted via CB10

[howarmat]

I never paid a penny to whatsapp, been using it next to BBM for four years now.

Edit: in the latest interview with John Chen, it was mentioned that BBM is going to make 100 million of revenue by 2016 and whatsapp only made 15 million in 2014 and look at the difference in the user base, HUGE!

BBM is turning into a vending machine!!

Posted via CB10

curious if you can dig up that quote for us

[MarsupilamiX]

I never paid a penny to whatsapp, been using it next to BBM for four years now.

Edit: in the latest interview with John Chen, it was mentioned that BBM is going to make 100 million of revenue by 2016 and whatsapp only made 15 million in 2014 and look at the difference in the user base, HUGE!

BBM is turning into a vending machine!!

Posted via CB10

There's something I don't understand though.
If whatsapp has 600 million users, and each one pays a dollar a year....
Shouldn't they have 600 million $ in revenues?

Posted via CB10

[lawliet4401728]

Is whatsapp free?

Posted via CB10

[FrankIAm]

There's something I don't understand though.
If whatsapp has 600 million users, and each one pays a dollar a year....
Shouldn't they have 600 million $ in revenues?

Posted via CB10

You know, I think they're like WinRar. I've honestly never paid for WhatsApp in years. Once the end of subscription date is close, it just renews itself without paying a penny. I really don't know why.

[jhimmel]

Edit: do you pay for whatsapp? NO and whatsapp is a company, not part of something like BBM and yet you see BBM trying it's best to get every penny out of the users.

Posted via CB10

I thought Whatsapp is a paid service after the first year. Did that change?

Posted via CB10

[jafrul]

I thought Whatsapp is a paid service after the first year. Did that change?

Posted via CB10

Been using it since 2010.
Never paid a cent.

With due diligence from my Astro on Z30STA100-2/10.3.1.1016

[jhimmel]

Been using it since 2010.
Never paid a cent.

With due diligence from my Astro on Z30STA100-2/10.3.1.1016

Okay, but they claim it is free for the first year, and $.99 thereafter. I don't use it, and I've never really heard of someone paying for it, so I have no idea how, or if, they are actually implementing the payment plan. Maybe someone else here can explain.

If you DID have to pay, would you drop it?

I wonder if Whatsapp is stating it up front, so that when they decide to start charging they are legally in the clear, but have been waiving the fee while they continue to grow user base.
Posted via CB10

[unbreakablej]

Me too.. I have been wondering for years how is it that no one is actually paying for whatsapp... sounds like a conspiracy that needs to be investigated into!!

Posted via CB10

[Q10fiend]

I would consider paying for it if they added a streaming service to bbm like pandora and if it was really good. A lot of people are willing to pay for music streaming but not something offered for free by the competition.

Posted via CB10

[Knightcrawler]

utterly terrible idea making these features subscription based....if you want your user base to grow, you make everything free!

BBM can charge for things like these when they're over 250k users, but at under 100k, that's a terrible plan!

[JussSimma]

This should not be chargeable to anybody with an authentic Blackberry device.

My opinion

Posted via CB10

[katiepea]

Get the New BBM for Privacy, Control and Much, Much More | Inside BlackBerry

With these new features, now is the time to get your friends on BBM to start enjoying the unmatched level of privacy and control. Timed Messages and Message Retraction features are premium features that will be available free and without restriction over the next three months. After this time, unrestricted access to these features will become part of a broader bundle of features that will be offered as part of a BBM subscription.

Sucks to me.

Posted via CB10

If this comes to be, everyone that I know that uses BBM currently (reduced to about 10 people) will cease to use it. I'm the only one that actually uses BlackBerry so it won't be a loss for them. They all actually do like using it, but it was a push to get them to. There is no doubt they will simply abandon it if it starts saying they need to pay for features.