BBM for Windows Phone, Nokia X handsets by July-Sept

"BBM continues to grow in popularity as millions of people use our mobile platform for chatting and connecting with friends or colleagues, and we are very excited that we will soon welcome Windows Phone and Nokia X users to the BBM community," BlackBerry President, Global Enterprise Solutions John Sims said.

The Canadian company has seen a significant decline in sales over the last few quarters amid competition from Apple, Samsung and Nokia. It launched a new operating system BB10 last year but it has failed to gain share in the global smartphone market.

"Today marks an exciting moment for Nokia. By bringing BBM to the Windows Phone and Nokia X communities, our customers will be able to experience this popular global messaging app," Nokia Vice President and GM Developer Relations Bryan Biniak said.

Nokia users will have access to messaging and collaboration features like BBM Chats, BBM Groups, BBM Voice and BBM Channels.

Last week, BlackBerry had started rolling out a new version of BBM, allowing Android and iPhone users to make free voice calls to other BBM contacts over Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. The free voice call feature (BBM Voice) was already available for Blackberry handset users.

BBM Channels allows users to chat with other BBM users on topics of interest them. These range from products, hobbies and sports to entertainment, fashion and cars.

Currently, BBM comes pre-loaded on Android devices from brands like LG, Micromax, Celkon, Spice and Zen.