[forever10]

I think i've found enough evidence to conclude shutting down bbid will not brick blackberry 10 phones as some people have suggested.

Here are the reasons:
(1) You can security wipe a phone with no network connectivity - it's easy to test you just take out the sim and turn off WiFi. Once the security wipe is finished you can also setup the phone without WiFi or a sim. Hence, the device doesn't "die: without calling home as some have suggested.

(2) You can also turn off blackberry protect without network connectivity - Just turn off the WiFi and remove a sim and then click to turn off protect. It will ask you for your bbid password - which apparently is stored locally since it can't call home without a sim or wifi.

(3) Some people have suggested blackberry link backups might be useless since it requires a blackberry ID as well which needs to call home. I have a third party app called "iSkysoft Phone Transfer" which can open blackberry link backups - but what I found interesting is that it requires the blackberry ID password to open the backup but I can turn off wifi while doing it.
Hence, it's not calling home but is using a local password stored in the backup file.

Based on the above I think you can conclude that BlackBerry already built in redundancy in the case the servers are not available.
The phone will surely degrade when it comes to internet apps not working over time - but it will not brick.

[conite]

Yes, I think we knew this.

The only concern is that without BlackBerry World, and without Link backups, the only way to load 3rd party native apps is to hope the various developers (the small percentage who still exist) will make them available to sideload.

Otherwise, I don't believe anyone thinks that BB10 will spontaneously combust on Jan 1st.

[forever10]

Otherwise, I don't believe anyone thinks that BB10 will spontaneously combust on Jan 1st.

I asked the question previously and was told by several people that the phone might not work without connectivity to blackberry servers.. so it seemed to me it wasn't understood or at least I had gotten a different impression.

I'm not expecting any new blackberry apps to be developed - so to me it's being happy with the link backup of the ones I have plus third party android apps that work.

I was told by a developer that it's against blackberry terms to release apps directly - I wonder if that is still true when blackberry world is no longer online.

[howarmat]

I asked the question previously and was told by several people that the phone might not work without connectivity to blackberry servers.. so it seemed to me it wasn't understood.

I'm not expecting any new blackberry apps to be developed - so to me it's being happy with the link backup of the ones I have plus third party android apps that work.

that is true. We dont know for sure. It will certainly have some services that will no longer work correctly if they shut BBID down

[forever10]

that is true.

Right but i'm pretty confident from my tests that it's not true. There might be some minor auxiliary service that most of us don't use anyway that stops working- but the core that makes the phone work already has redundancy in place from the 3 points above.

[howarmat]

Right but i'm pretty confident from my tests that it's not true. There might be some minor auxiliary service that most of us don't use anyway that stops working- but the core that makes the phone work already has redundancy in place from the 3 points above.

It just depends on what you mean by "works." There are tons of scenarios where something happens and certain features like BBM wont work or the antitheft feature goes wonkly. There might be a problem after a wipe and you cant get link to load up the backup. Sure, calls, SMS and email should all still work its just the uncertainly of things that are not part of the basics could easily break and you will have an unintentional "brick" so to speak.

[the_boon]

Well, what about someone who wants to get WhatsFixer when BBW is shut down?

SOL ?

[brookie229]

Well, what about someone who wants to get WhatsFixer when BBW is shut down?

SOL ?

Just send Roger an email - he will oblige.

Seriously though, the WA app (android) will pack it in probably before anyone would need the "fixer" for it. Most people using a BB10 device after that "doomsday" date probably have no desire for WA or most any other app anyway. We are more interested in calls/emails/sms.

[Aju]

Contacts sync via gmail ? It is already gone wrong now.....donno what such will go after 2019.

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[the_boon]

Or, someone could simply try to extract the BAR file and upload it somewhere for people to download it to their BB10 device.

Well, assuming Android whatsapp apk still even works

[skrble]

Or, someone could simply try to extract the BAR file and upload it somewhere for people to download it to their BB10 device.

Well, assuming Android whatsapp apk still even works

I don't think extracting is possible. Installed BARs are tied to a specific BBID, so even if you managed that, it would not work.

You really have to get a generic installation file. That's what I was told when looking for ways how to extract the Content Transfer.

[jevinzac]

I don't think extracting is possible. Installed BARs are tied to a specific BBID, so even if you managed that, it would not work.

You really have to get a generic installation file. That's what I was told when looking for ways how to extract the Content Transfer.

Xsacha did that back when BB10 was getting some popularity. People here criticised him for that and he's nowhere to be found since then .

Posted via CB10

[bb_geezer]

(3) Some people have suggested blackberry link backups might be useless since it requires a blackberry ID as well which needs to call home. I have a third party app called "iSkysoft Phone Transfer" which can open blackberry link backups - but what I found interesting is that it requires the blackberry ID password to open the backup but I can turn off wifi while doing it.
Hence, it's not calling home but is using a local password stored in the backup file.

Thanks for the info, had never heard of iSkysoft.

However, from my understanding there is no software currently available that will allow the restoration of apps backed up via Link. Have you tested it?

[bb10adopter111]

I would love to continue using BlackBerry 10 but, without the remote wipe and other security features of BlackBerry Protect, it' would be too much of a risk for me, both personally and professionally.

I would happily pay $200 a year ($16.67 a month) for continued BlackBerry Protect service if it was available.

Posted with my trusty Z10

[bb_geezer]

Xsacha did that back when BB10 was getting some popularity. People here criticised him for that and he's nowhere to be found since then

Can you clarify what you mean please? Are you saying Xsacha had found a way to obtain .bar installation files?

If so, do you think he can still do that? Thanks.

[conite]

Can you clarify what you mean please? Are you saying Xsacha had found a way to obtain .bar installation files?

If so, do you think he can still do that? Thanks.

He found a way to download bar files from BlackBerry World.

But that was shut down rather quickly.

[bb_geezer]

He found a way to download bar files from BlackBerry World.

But that was shut down rather quickly.

I see. You think it's still technically possible to do it again? I.e. if someone like Xsacha was to put their mind to it.

[conite]

I see. You think it's still technically possible to do it again?

Not realistically, no.

[joeldf]

No one has been able to extract an installed bar file from a BB10 device, or from a backup file.

[jevinzac]

He found a way to download bar files from BlackBerry World.

But that was shut down rather quickly.

Any idea if BlackBerry "fixed that bug"?
It was shut down in the sense, he stopped extracting them, right?

Posted via CB10

[conite]

Any idea if BlackBerry "fixed that bug"?
It was shut down in the sense, he stopped extracting them, right?

Posted via CB10

Both.

[brookie229]

he stopped extracting them, right?

Pretty sure he was issued a "cease and desist" order from BB at the time. From what I understand at the time, he uncovered the flaw and made BB aware of the problem voluntarily. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong about that.

[jevinzac]

Pretty sure he was issued a "cease and desist" order from BB at the time. From what I understand at the time, he uncovered the flaw and made BB aware of the problem voluntarily. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong about that.

Yeah he did say that, he notified BlackBerry about this but they never gave any ear to that, so he did it thinking it was supposed to be that way in the first place. The devs never liked the idea though, thinking others could steal their code and then I think he was banned by BlackBerry.

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[joeldf]

Pretty sure he was issued a "cease and desist" order from BB at the time. From what I understand at the time, he uncovered the flaw and made BB aware of the problem voluntarily. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong about that.

That's basically it. The flaw was uncovered years earlier when the PlayBook* came out. But they ignored him and said there was no flaw. I re-read the old thread on his download method that started in early 2014. It was at the point where he gave up and let everyone know about it.

The process only downloaded free apps, but it was very controversial among the forum members, including several developers who were active at the time.

BBW finally changed (fixed the "flaw") sometime in mid 2015.

Reading that thread, it was interesting to see forum members I realized I hadn't seen in a very long time. Bla1ze and thurask were there, though.

*Edited post - I originally wrote Passport, but meant to say PlayBook.

[Zidentia]

That's basically it. The flaw was uncovered years earlier when the PlayBook* came out. But they ignored him and said there was no flaw. I re-read the old thread on his download method that started in early 2014. It was at the point where he gave up and let everyone know about it.

The process only downloaded free apps, but it was very controversial among the forum members, including several developers who were active at the time.

BBW finally changed (fixed the "flaw") sometime in mid 2015.

Reading that thread, it was interesting to see forum members I realized I hadn't seen in a very long time. Bla1ze and thurask were there, though.

*Edited post - I originally wrote Passport, but meant to say PlayBook.

Good times

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