Though it’s long been considered one of BlackBerry’s strongest exclusive offerings, Heins said that his company aims to deliver a “fully featured” BBM experience on rival smartphone operating systems. “We’re starting with messaging and groups, but we’ll bring voice, screen share, and of course, channels later on,” he said.

BlackBerry’s killer app won’t be an exclusive anymore

“Why are we doing this now? It’s a statement of confidence,” Heins went on. He said that BlackBerry 10’s prospects are “so strong that we are confident that BBM can become an independent messaging solution.” In a press release, BlackBerry notes that BBM’s successful move to iOS and Android depends upon the approval of Apple and Google. Assuming things go according to plan, BBM will face no shortage of competition from WhatsApp and other messaging apps that already enjoy enormous success across mobile platforms.