Blackberry has 10 million downloads and positive reviews after a multi - platform version of BBM for Android or BlackBerry Messenger app was launched registered on google play. However, it seems that large reviews are positive, at least Android app on Google Play store ,appear to be fake or 'astroturfed' (paid review ) .
One reason for doubt about the intentions behind BBM for Android, is that the reviews are actually displayed in the same text with grammatical errors and a five-star. Text says: "Thank you so much Blackberry team. I was waiting this app. It is really great user friendly and smooth." was the first place of Matt Baxter - Reynolds, who has seen the screenshot posted on Twitter .
Interestingly, the review text begun with "Please post the following comment on the new BlackBerry Messenger Android APP. 'Thank you so much black berry team...'" next To the same positive vote follow . Such reviews may also someone mischief, but at first glance it seems that the reviewer wrote a full message supposedly from BlackBerry ( or agency related ) management . This review was spotted by Terence Eden.
It has no knowledge of how these reviews were created or populated and that it doesn't approve of this practice, BlackBerry issued a statement
Here's the complete text of the statement:
"We have been made aware of a number of potentially fake reviews of BBM for Android on Google Play, with ratings anywhere from one to five stars. We have no knowledge of how these reviews were created or populated. We do not approve of or condone such activities. There are also many genuinely great and useful reviews from our new BBM users on Google Play. We would like to encourage our fans and users to continue to provide true assessments of the BBM experience through the proper channels."
The fake reviews could certainly tarnish the image of the Waterloo based company which is struggling to win consumers back, after putting itself up for sale. A number of companies have been accused of fake reviews including Samsung, which was even fined in Taiwan for allegedly paying bloggers to write against HTC.
