Applications
Tencent‘s messaging app WeChat launches on Blackberry
MUMBAI: Tencent, a leading internet company, has announced the availability of its mobile messaging app WeChat on the BlackBerry platform.
With its launch on BlackBerry platform, millions of BlackBerry users will now be able to also use WeChat. BlackBerry loyalists in India can download the application for free from the BlackBerry App World.
WeChat for BlackBerry comes with the app’s core features like ‘push-to-talk’, Instant Messaging, Voice Messaging, Group Chat and Photo Sharing, and new features to be introduced along the way.
WeChat, which claims to have crossed 300 million registered users globally, is a free mobile voice and text messaging application which was launched in India in July last year across iPhone, Android, Symbian, and Windows platforms. It will now also be available for BlackBerry users.
Dennis Hau, Head of Product Center, International Business Group, Tencent said: "With our new record growth of 300+ million user accounts globally, we are continuing with our mission to be accessible on more platforms. Now, we are delighted to announce the official launch of WeChat’s BlackBerry app.”
Research In Motion (RIM) Director Alliances and Business Development Annie Mathews said, "BlackBerry smartphones are extremely popular and renowned for instant messaging and social networking capabilities. We are pleased to have WeChat available on BlackBerry App World, offering another great way for our customers to stay connected with their friends and family while on the move.”
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
