BBM is more private,unlike whatsapp , which uses your phone number , your phone number which your service provider is able to link with your name, address, age blah blah{since we all have registred our SIM cards}. On the other hand BBM uses your PIN which you share with only whom you want.If you wanna take your privacy to the extreme,you simply share your barcode instead of sharing your PIN. Another issue is even if you have my BBM PIN,you cant chat with me if i don't want to,unless i approve your invitation. BBM shows you what songs your contacts are listening to,if they choose the option.It actually tells you if your message has been delivered(by letter D),and if the message has actually been read(by letter R). You can display or hide your country name and local time to your contacts,change the layout of your contacts(list and grid options).Overall its a good app which i like,but only a few people that i interact with have adopted it so whatsapp is still my main IM app