[everrob]

I did a complete backup of my Blackberry Q10 to my windows laptop. The backup file uses a .bbb extension. What program do I use to open this file? Thanks in advance for the help.

[Troy Tiscareno]

That is a BlackBerry Link backup, and so you need Link to restore it to another device, but Link backup files are encrypted and rely on BB servers being available in order to restore it. You cannot open those files with any other app, and you can't dig into the data or export it in any way from the backup file -you can only restore it do another (same or similar BB10) device.

I've been advising people, especially those still using BB10 or even BBOS, for years here to make backups of their data in open, unencrypted formats that an be accessed in other apps or imported into other apps/services. Link backups are ALSO worth having for the purposes of restoring paid apps to another BB10 phone and saving app data and settings, but Link backups are utterly useless for getting access to your data in any other manner than restoring it to a phone, so you need the additional steps of making open-format backups of that data in case you need to move to a different platform or access your data in the event your phone breaks or is lost/stolen.

[EndoPlayz Wolf]

What program do I use to open this file?

firstly, good on you for backing up your phone, I don't mean this sarcastically, I myself have held off backing my phone up for no reason whatsoever, secondly, like Troy says in their post, if you want to open it you should back it up in an open file format, the .BBB extension is encrypted and there is no way noted to open it without blackberry software, and the only way to get it back is to backup in an open format, but if you are trying to get photos or other files, you can just connect it to your computer and set it as a USB extension in settings > Storage and access > access using USB and turning "USB Mass Storage Mode" on
if you are trying to access apps and all that stuff, then the only way I am aware of is by getting it through an open backup, other than that the USB method works too. then again I am unaware what exactly you are looking for so I don't know which method you are looking for

[everrob]

Thank you for responding, Troy. I backed up my BBQ10 to my windows laptop in hopes of accessing a Blackberry app called Remember. When I used the backup/restore option in Blackberry Link, I did not see an option for a backup in open, unencrypted formats. I am lost! How do I make an open-format backup? I'm getting a Pixel 3a XL and my hope is to move that app to the Pixel. Thanks again for your help.

[everrob]

Thank you for your reply. Please see my reply to Troy.

[joeldf]

Thank you for responding, Troy. I backed up my BBQ10 to my windows laptop in hopes of accessing a Blackberry app called Remember. When I used the backup/restore option in Blackberry Link, I did not see an option for a backup in open, unencrypted formats. I am lost! How do I make an open-format backup? I'm getting a Pixel 3a XL and my hope is to move that app to the Pixel. Thanks again for your help.

Native Blackberry apps (such as the Remember app) only run on BB10 phones. They can't run on any other OS - not Android, iOS, Windows, MS-DOS, Sailfish... nothing else.

Link backups don't offer backup format options. Encrypted is all it does - by design.

Troy's suggestion for open format backup options was for other non-app backups - like SMS/MMS backups (which have open format options with the right third-party backup app), contacts, documents, photos and music.

App backup of native apps is only possible with Link, and access to that backup outside of restoring to the same device, or another BB10 device with the same BBID, is simply not possible.

You could try integrating Evernote with Remember. Evernote has an android app the will run on the Pixel, and using the same Evernote account, you can sync between up to two devices for free.

[everrob]

Thank you for responding. I have no idea how to do this. Do I hook up my Pixel and my BBQ10 using USB?

[joeldf]

Thank you for responding. I have no idea how to do this. Do I hook up my Pixel and my BBQ10 using USB?

To what end?

You can't copy a native BB10 app to an Android phone and expect it to run. It just won't work.

Just to make this clear, your Q10 runs the Blackberry 10 operating system. Now, it will run Android apps thanks to a built-in emulator, but that's as far as it goes.

It doesn't go the other way.

The Pixel runs the full, real Android operating system. It cannot run BB10 apps at all. They won't install or run on it. In fact, the Pixel wouldn't know what to do with it.

What else are you wanting to copy? If it's anything other than an app, we may find a way.

[conite]

Thank you for responding. I have no idea how to do this. Do I hook up my Pixel and my BBQ10 using USB?

You could try integrating Evernote with Remember. Evernote has an android app the will run on the Pixel, and using the same Evernote account, you can sync between up to two devices for free.

This ^^^

[everrob]

Thanks for making that clear. It was only the one app. While I still have the BBQ10, I'll go through the app and pick out the information I need and put it in a new file on my laptop. Thanks again for your help. You've solved my problem and stopped me from wasting any more time!