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BlackBerry Ltd on Friday announced significant changes to its instant messaging platform BBM that will allow users to set a timer for how long messages and pictures they share with contacts can be viewed within BBM.
Once the timer has expired the message is no longer visible. The user also receives a notification if BBM detects that the recipient has taken a screenshot of the image or message. The move from BlackBerry is an indication of a new trend that’s becoming popular among instant messaging users — the need to keep certain messages secret.
Other instant messaging platforms are also moving in that direction.
For example, Hike, the instant messaging service launched by Bharti and SoftBank, recently launched a feature that allows one-to-one chats in “hidden” mode. This means that even though you may be chatting with your girlfriend online, others will see you as being ‘offline’.
Other players like Line have also announced similar capabilities.
The application also allows users to keep certain phone numbers in their contact list concealed through a password protected feature. This feature has made Hike very popular with the youth who may find it useful to hide things from their parents.
Similarly, another app called Snapchat allows users to send photos and videos to contacts that disappear after they are viewed. BlackBerry has gone a step ahead and has launched a feature that allows users to retract their message and remove it from their BBM chat before it has been read by the recipient or after it has been read so that it is no longer visible within the BBM chat.
John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Services, at BlackBerry, said: “These capabilities will allow our users to be more creative in how they deliver their messages while also being confident that their content is kept private and seen only by its intended recipient.”
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