It may be three days after the global launch, but BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) is available as a free download on the Google Play and Apple App Store in Africa.

On Tuesday, BBM had a worldwide launch of its popular instant messaging app for the Google Play and Apple App stores. The launch on Tuesday followed a postponed attempt by BlackBerry to unveil BBM its Android and Apple app in September.

Over ten million people worldwide downloaded the BBM Android and Apple apps within the first 24 hours of its availability on Tuesday.

But African smart device users who didn’t have access to the Samsung Apps store have had to wait until Thursday evening to get the app.

Representatives of BlackBerry explained to ITWeb Africa that electronics maker Samsung had a “three-day time-to-market advantage” with regard to rolling out the Android and Apple BBM app in sub-Saharan Africa.

BlackBerry said Samsung Africa had this advantage because the South Korean electronics giant “has been a very proactive partner and has invested significantly in promoting BBM to its customers in Africa,” said BlackBerry officials.

However, the delayed launch caused confusion among African users who do not have access to the Samsung Apps store. Meanwhile, other tech savvy non-Samsung African phone users downloaded BBM using US app store accounts.

And now that the app is available to all smart devices in Africa, BlackBerry says those wanting to download BBM could still experience a waiting period.

“To help manage the pent up demand for BBM and get everyone on the service as quickly as possible, a simple line-up system has been implemented to help ensure a smooth roll out,” says BlackBerry in a press release.

“To get the fastest possible access to BBM, Android and iPhone users should visit BBM.com from their Android or iPhone browser. Once they’ve downloaded the app, users should launch it and enter their email address to hold their spot in line. BlackBerry will send them an email when they reach the front of the line. Customers can then log in and start using BBM.

“Users among the six million who took the time to sign up at BBM.com will be the first to gain access to the service. Users who aren’t among the initial group will be moved through the line as quickly as possible,” says BlackBerry.

BlackBerry’s move to launch BBM for Android and Apple comes as the Canadian handset maker’s market share and financial performances have sunk to record lows.

According to the IDC, BlackBerry’s share of the global smartphone market is predicted to be at 2.7% for 2013 reaching just 1.7% in 2017. This signals a sharp decline for the smartphone maker, which previously held 20% of the global smartphone market in 2009, according to the IDC and Gartner.

Meanwhile, BlackBerry this year also reported a quarterly loss of nearly $1 billion, while revenue fell 45% from a year earlier to $1.6 billion.

BlackBerry is in talks to sell its business, with companies such as Google and even Cisco reportedly being interested.