BBM now support Android Wear and Touch ID

Read on, because BlackBerry has some new features to talk about for its BlackBerry Messenger platform, and they're pretty handy ones as well. Firstly -as was hinted at in January - it now supports Android Wear devices.

That means you can not only view but also reply to and start conversations from your wrist-worn gadget. It's now possible to send messages using your voice or pick from a list of preset responses.

There's also support for Touch ID in the latest version of the app for iOS, so you can unlock access to your account with a well-placed finger on your device's 

BBM subscriptions

BlackBerry is also introducing some subscription options for serious users. For US$0.99 a month you can remove ads and sponsored invites from your feed, while US$1.99 a month gets you a custom PIN

We've made tweaks and squished bugs, resulting in the fastest and smoothest BBM experience yet. I think you're going to love it," writes BlackBerry's Jesse Ariss on the company blog.

Another small but helpful upgrade is the introduction of support for photos in group chats. Updates for BlackBerry 10 and Android are going to roll out tomorrow, while an iOS update is due "soon".