We know BBM is coming to Windows Phone this July, we just don’t know the specific day in July. But if the most recent development is any indication, it could be anything from a few hours to a few weeks from now.

A  private beta version of BBM has surfaced on the Windows Phone store, with support for both WP 8 and WP 8.1. Unlike this paid counterfeit, this one seems legit as it was published by “Blackberry Limited”, the official developer name Blackberry uses in 3rd party app stores.  The only snag now is that you can’t download it.

How private betas work on the Windows Phone store is your Microsoft ID has to be included in testers’ list for you to be able to download.

My guess is that it has either been published ahead of a forthcoming public beta programme or has been in private beta testing for a while now. If the latter guess is spot on, BBM for Windows Phone should go public within a few hours to a few days from now. However, should my former guess hold true, you might want to sign up for Blackberry Beta Zone now, if you haven’t already, for a chance to be among the first to test BBM for Windows Phone. But this could probably spell a late July arrival for BBM on Windows Phone.

Muyiwa Matuluko Author

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