Windows Phone users are in for some good news, as the popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) messaging service is now available for their platform.

BlackBerry has had a tough time on the highly-competitive smartphone market, as it lost significant ground to rivals and many of its customers fled to other platforms such as iOS, Android, or Windows Phone. The BlackBerry Messenger, however, is still widely popular and the company's decision to release it on other platforms has been welcomed by smartphone users worldwide.

Last year, BlackBerry opened its messaging system to Android and iOS. A while back, BlackBerry also announced that its BBM would become available for the Windows Phone platform in July. On the last day of the month, July 31, the company made good on its promise and released BBM for Microsoft's mobile OS.

BlackBerry has also been touting new BBM features recently to make its messaging tool more attractive to high-profile clients such as corporations and government agencies that need a secure messaging service.

The new rollout to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform means that the service is now available on all major smartphone platforms, which should help boost its popularity even further.

"BBM brings you together in the moment with friends and family through instant chats, picture sharing, voice notes and more. Download the official BBM now to start chatting with other BBM users on Windows Phone, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry," reads the app description on the Windows Phone Store.

The new version of the app that rolled out now for Windows Phone users is listed as a beta version, but the company said it's already working on another version that will bring more features and updates to the platform.

"Note on V1: We're excited to offer BBM to Windows Phone users! V1 focuses on bringing the speed, privacy and security of BBM - loved by millions around the world - to chatting and sharing through 1:1, multiperson and BBM Group chats. We're already working hard on V2 where we'll introduce additional features to BBM for Windows Phone."

BBM lost some ground to WhatsApp and other rivals until BlackBerry finally decided to open up the service to users on other platforms, but it still has over 85 million active users. BlackBerry is marketing its BBM as a secure messaging service suitable for regulated sectors and government agencies. Moreover, the company rolled out BBM Protected last month, which is a secure messaging service specifically tailored to the needs of companies in regulated sectors, such as financial services or others.

It remains to be seen whether or not BlackBerry will be able to attract more corporate clients or government agencies to its BBM, but for now the service's launch on the Windows Phone platform is a significant step forward in the right direction.

For more information, instructions on how to set everything up, tips and tricks on how to enjoy the best experience, and more, check out BlackBerry's blog post regarding its BBM availability for Windows Phone users. Keep in mind that BBM only works with Windows Phone 8 or later. If you've already installed the free app on your Windows Phone device, drop by our comment section below and let us know how it fares. If not, you can find the app as a free download at this link.