Setting up an old Leap- where to start?

Hi there!

So my father recently retired, and had to return his work phone that had also been his primary phone. However, he was allowed to keep a previous generation work phone, a Leap that seems to still be in good condition. Since his needs are basic and his budget limited, I'm hoping its possible to set this up for him in a somewhat usable way.

I was hoping it would be as simple as flashing a custom Android ROM, but it looks like things are a bit more complicated then that, and I'm completely new to the BB10 ecosystem. I've performed a factory reset, but even after searching around for a while I'm a bit lost about how to proceed. The model # is STR-100 and the OS versions 10.3.2.2474

1) What tools do I need to load the most up-to-date OS onto the Leap? (And a link to that OS would be much appreciated!)
2) Is it possible that since this is an old corporate phone this will impact things? I've noticed that when trying to access Wikipedia in the browser it blocks it as "unsecure" even after said factory reset.
3) I've seen mentions of Cobalt's method and Yalp as a way to load Android apps- is there by chance a guide to using these methods, and what apps can be made to work on the phone?

The biggest things for him on this phone would be the ability to take pictures and get them off the phone, browse the news, and use some form of maps navigation (Google maps if possible, but it looks like that might not be from other threads I've seen). If WiFi calling is possible that would be great, but I'm not holding my breath. He's not super tech literate, so I'm hoping I can set things up for him in a way that doesn't require constant fiddling on his end. Any help would be much appreciated!

(And if this isn't really possible or worth the effort vs just buying a new phone, please let me know as well!)

Originally Posted by RetiredLeap

Hi there!

So my father recently retired, and had to return his work phone that had also been his primary phone. However, he was allowed to keep a previous generation work phone, a Leap that seems to still be in good condition. Since his needs are basic and his budget limited, I'm hoping its possible to set this up for him in a somewhat usable way.

I was hoping it would be as simple as flashing a custom Android ROM, but it looks like things are a bit more complicated then that, and I'm completely new to the BB10 ecosystem. I've performed a factory reset, but even after searching around for a while I'm a bit lost about how to proceed. The model # is STR-100 and the OS versions 10.3.2.2474

1) What tools do I need to load the most up-to-date OS onto the Leap? (And a link to that OS would be much appreciated!)
2) Is it possible that since this is an old corporate phone this will impact things? I've noticed that when trying to access Wikipedia in the browser it blocks it as "unsecure" even after said factory reset.
3) I've seen mentions of Cobalt's method and Yalp as a way to load Android apps- is there by chance a guide to using these methods, and what apps can be made to work on the phone?

The biggest things for him on this phone would be the ability to take pictures and get them off the phone, browse the news, and use some form of maps navigation (Google maps if possible, but it looks like that might not be from other threads I've seen). If WiFi calling is possible that would be great, but I'm not holding my breath. He's not super tech literate, so I'm hoping I can set things up for him in a way that doesn't require constant fiddling on his end. Any help would be much appreciated!

(And if this isn't really possible or worth the effort vs just buying a new phone, please let me know as well!)

BB10 is a first generation 3G/LTE phone... depending on your location in the world and carrier... it might not be supported much longer. In US, both T-Mobile and Verizon are ending support the first of next year - ATT will be at the end of next year. Looks like BB10 devices (and other early gen LTE devices) are not supported.

To load the latest OS... all that is needed is the BlackBerry drivers (installed with LINK) and the latest Autoloader.... if your wanting to try it. It's from two years ago, and is outdated - but much newer than what your phone is on.

Only issue using a used phone work phone, would be if they didn't turn off theft protection and it's locked to the previous BBID. But that isn't too hard to overcome at this point.

Yalp and FDroid are the best solutions for apps - but it's very limited, with only some old Android 4.3 compatible apps working.

My thoughts.... go buy an iPhone SE for him. The are simple to use, and they are current and work with all of today's apps - and even older retire people benefit from apps.

I think it's going to be too much of a hassle to maintain. BB10 takes a lot of massaging to get it to an acceptable state. If budget is an issue, I'd recommend the BLU G90. Pretty cheap but very usable without all of the Leap compromises.

https://www.amazon.com/BLU-G90-6-5-S...UvbUpU13546935

Originally Posted by RetiredLeap

Hi there!

So my father recently retired, and had to return his work phone that had also been his primary phone. However, he was allowed to keep a previous generation work phone, a Leap that seems to still be in good condition. Since his needs are basic and his budget limited, I'm hoping its possible to set this up for him in a somewhat usable way.

I was hoping it would be as simple as flashing a custom Android ROM, but it looks like things are a bit more complicated then that, and I'm completely new to the BB10 ecosystem. I've performed a factory reset, but even after searching around for a while I'm a bit lost about how to proceed. The model # is STR-100 and the OS versions 10.3.2.2474

1) What tools do I need to load the most up-to-date OS onto the Leap? (And a link to that OS would be much appreciated!)
2) Is it possible that since this is an old corporate phone this will impact things? I've noticed that when trying to access Wikipedia in the browser it blocks it as "unsecure" even after said factory reset.
3) I've seen mentions of Cobalt's method and Yalp as a way to load Android apps- is there by chance a guide to using these methods, and what apps can be made to work on the phone?

The biggest things for him on this phone would be the ability to take pictures and get them off the phone, browse the news, and use some form of maps navigation (Google maps if possible, but it looks like that might not be from other threads I've seen). If WiFi calling is possible that would be great, but I'm not holding my breath. He's not super tech literate, so I'm hoping I can set things up for him in a way that doesn't require constant fiddling on his end. Any help would be much appreciated!

(And if this isn't really possible or worth the effort vs just buying a new phone, please let me know as well!)

You don’t say where you’re located or what carrier it will be used on. With 5G rolling out and carriers only supporting 4G VoLTE and 5G TBD, probably would be a good idea to look at carrier devices within budget as part of your search process too. Some factory unlocked hardware, even if 4G and 5G capabilities are there, may not be supported by the carriers. We just don’t know until it happens. The carriers are listing supported devices sold by them respectively but again, it’s not perfect.

Originally Posted by robnhl

I think it's going to be too much of a hassle to maintain. BB10 takes a lot of massaging to get it to an acceptable state. If budget is an issue, I'd recommend the BLU G90. Pretty cheap but very usable without all of the Leap compromises.

https://www.amazon.com/BLU-G90-6-5-S...UvbUpU13546952

I don't think I'd choose a spyware ridden burner phone like that one.

I would go with Nokia running Android One with three years of patches and two Android updates. There are three models that could be had between $100 and $200 that are quite good.

Nokia 2.4 is $139 and the 3.4 is $179.

And the Nokia 5.3 is a steal at $199

Originally Posted by conite

I don't think I'd choose a spyware ridden burner phone like that one.

I would go with Nokia running Android One with three years of patches and two Android updates. There are three models that could be had between $100 and $200 that are quite good.

Nokia 2.4 is $139 and the 3.4 is $179.

And the Nokia 5.3 is a steal at $199

I kind of agree as BLU has had it's share of security problems, and they aren't big up software updates..... Android One is hard to beat.