BlackBerry has struck a deal with LG that will see BBM pre-installed on its future Android-powered smartphones. The G Pro Lite, which offers an “optimized BBM experience” and will go on sale “soon” in markets around the world, will be the first device with BBM out-of-the-box.BlackBerry has been working on deals like this one since it brought BBM to Android this summer, with a similar agreements already in place with Samsung and a whole host of smartphone makers based in Asia and the Middle East — markets where BBM is incredibly popular.

BBM will continue to be available to all through Google play and other Android app stores, but BlackBerry is hoping that having it pre-installed on future devices will encourage users to sign up for the free messaging service.

The Canadian company has already seen plenty of success from BBM’s cross-platform launch, with 20 million new users joining the service during the app’s first week of availability on Android and iOS. BlackBerry has also vowed to continue BBM’s evolution on these platforms, with new features like BBM Channels, BBM Voice, and BBM Video coming soon.

• SourceBlackBerry