Mobile Instant Messaging

What Does Mobile Instant Messaging Mean?

Mobile instant messaging (MIM) is a messaging service that uses instant messaging (IM) via mobile devices, employing various technologies such as text messaging, Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Unlike SMS, MIM notifies the user when those in the contacts list are available or not available for chat.

Techopedia Explains Mobile Instant Messaging

Some MIM applications are stand-alone programs, while others run on a Web browser.

Some of the most popular mobile instant messaging applications include Meebo, Trillian, Beejive, Google Talk and BlackBerry Messenger. The first three run on Android, BlackBerry and iOS platforms, while the last one runs on BlackBerry alone.

Related Reading

Margaret Rouse

Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

All Articles by Margaret Rouse