LG is BBM's new BFF for now

In what could be considered a coup, BlackBerry's messaging app is set to come preinstalled on LG's smartphone handsets, starting with the LG G Pro Lite.

In what could be considered a coup, BlackBerry's messaging app is set to come preinstalled on LG's smartphone handsets, starting with the LG G Pro Lite.

BBM is a secure social messaging and file sharing app and for many consumers is the only reason they persist with a BlackBerry handset even in the face of the company's increasing struggles to compete with Android, Apple and now Windows Phone.

Up to 30 people can be messaged at once and conversations aren't limited to text. Calendar entries, audio and video clips and photos can also be shared between users.

Unlike a number of other social messaging apps, BBM offers a greater level of privacy, partly because it uses BlackBerry's secure technology and partly because each user has a PIN that they use to access the service and which is also displayed as their handle -- rather than their name, email address or telephone number.

In announcing the deal, LG said that the addition of BBM on new devices on sale in all regions would help the company build its market share in the Middle East Africa and Indonesia in particular where social networking is really taking off and where products such as BBM have, for a number of years, been helping people stay in touch without breaking the bank on roaming and data charges.

As well as the partnership with LG, BlackBerry has also recently launched BBM as a standalone app available for download on Android and iOS -- where it has proven to be a surprise hit, clocking up millions of downloads in its first week.