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- Dubai 05:31 06:45 12:35 15:51 18:20 19:34
Users can also retract a message that a user might have mistakenly sent to someone else. (File)
Have you had the misfortune of sending a confidential message intended for a particular individual, to a WhatsApp group?
Has someone secretly taken a screenshot of your private and confidential message, that was otherwise meant to self-destruct?
BlackBerry has rolled out a new security feature on BBM messenger that is specifically aimed at those who consider privacy and confidentiality an utmost priority.
So much so that BlackBerry has decided to offer it at a premium, Dh3.50 per month or Dh42 per year.
What you get in return are features that include sending a timed message that not only self-destructs, but also does not display the sender’s details on the interface.
Users can also retract a message that a user might have mistakenly sent to someone else.
Blackberry has rolled out the updated version of BBM Messenger for BlackBerry 10 as well as iOS and Android devices.
Free BBM users can still send timed messages, but it does not hide user details and allows the recipient to take screenshots and preserve it as evidence.
BlackBerry Private Chat is included in the new Privacy and Control Subscription, which replaces the existing Timed and Retracted Messages Subscription.
Several other platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook’s Messenger, We Chat and KIK have increased their customer base, offering for free many of the premium features that BlackBerry offers.
What’s more the BBM messenger on Android continues to come with several glitches.
Some users have complained that they are unable to cancel and close the BBM Shop window once they click on the subscribe button.
“Firstly the screen does not display how much it costs for the service, unless you click on the subscribe menu and choose between the, ‘Use Carrier Billing,’ or ‘Use Google Play’, option.
"After you get to know the price – Dh3.50 per month – if you want to return to the main screen, the only way you can currently do is to force close the app,” says Naseem Mohammed, an Android user.
Blackberry also announced that other new features in the new update include a redesigned BBM for Android using material design principles; a new 'quote message' feature that allows a user to reference previous messages in the chat and an update to the way font sizes are rendered on iOS.
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