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A week ago, BlackBerry released an update to BBM for Android, bringing support for video posts in BBM Channels, a new post to feeds option and more. The company has now released the equivalent upgrade for iOS users.
Video in Feeds via Channel posts
Only BBM Channel owners can post video, but everyone can see them. Just click play and you can watch in full screen or in-feed. To upload video you must be a BBM Channel owner and can only post from the CMC. The feature is not yet implemented for mobile. The video posting feature is also currently only available to selected business accounts.
For those who can actually use the feature, copy and then paste the url link of a video already uploaded to Vidio.com. You can then then edit title or description then post it to your channel.
Sharing photos to Feeds
Users can can now take high quality photos and upload to feeds directly to share with your contacts. You no longer need to update your avatar image to showcase your pictures.
To start sharing your photos Go to your Feed, Tap on the photo icon, give BBM permission to access your phone’s camera, then select a photo, crop it, add a caption, and share.
BlackBerry has also added several improvements to the BBM interface.
- Group notifications now show name of user who sent the message
- Introduced new menu options when users long press a chat bubble
- Enhanced message preview in chat list to now show two lines
- Relocated the timer icon into the attachment menu to avoid accidental clicks
- BBM automatically expands chat entry field when more than 4 lines are entered
- New navigation icons for chat, contacts and feeds
In addition, the default contact layout has been changed from grid to list view and Timed messages now default to 25 second expiry.
Users can now also make group chats easier to organise by including a chat name for multi-person chats.
The update also includes the obligatory bug fixes.
BBM Video Chat System Requirements and Functionality
BlackBerry 10
- BlackBerry 10 OS required
- BlackBerry 10 smartphones are able to start BBM Video Chats to other BlackBerry 10 smartphones
- BBM Video Chat between BlackBerry 10 and Android or iOS devices is not supported and will provide the option for BBM Voice Chat
iOS
- iOS version 8 and later required
- iOS devices are able start BBM Video Chats between other iOS and Android OS devices
- When a BBM Video Chat is started on an iOS device to BlackBerry 10 smartphones, the call will change to a BBM Voice Chat
Android
- Android OS 4.4 (KitKat) and later required
- Android OS devices are able to start BBM Video Chats between other Android OS and iOS devices
- When a BBM Video Chat is started on an Android device to BlackBerry 10 smartphones, the call will change to a BBM Voice Chat
- Asus phones (and any mobile device using an Intel chipset) are currently not supported and will establish a BBM Voice Call
- Motorola Moto X (XT1092, XT1095, XT1096) and Lenovo Vibe X (S960) may see one way video, or poor video during a BBM Video Chat
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