BlackBerry users love the versatility and mobility that the device brings to their business and personal life, but like all devices, BlackBerries have their issues. As the models have become newer, so the bugs have been weeded out, but there are several common technical problems that BlackBerry users seem to experience across the board. We’ve picked the top four and found some solutions to help you figure out your BlackBerry’s issues before you lose valuable time.
- The BlackBerry screen is frozen.
This problem happens on pretty much any computer-related device. Something happens and you suddenly can’t scroll up or down, or click on anything. It’s annoying, but there are actually two ways to fix it. You can perform a soft reset, which is done by pressing the ALT + CAP + DELETE keys on your handheld at the same time. If this doesn’t work, perform a hard reset. This is done by finding the RESET button at the back of the handheld. Sometimes, this button might be near the bottom, under the battery cover. Press the RESET button using a pin or paper clip. With either method, you shouldn’t lose any data. - The BlackBerry doesn’t send or receive email messages.
This problem could be due to the lack of GPRS service. GPRS stands for General Packet Radio Service, and it’s what allows your device to access data. The first thing you should do is perform a soft reset. If that doesn’t work, perform a hard reset. After both resets, check your wireless antenna signal strength. The antenna should show GPRS. If you can still make phone calls and access the Web, then your GSM service is still available. Try sending yourself an email – does it work? If it doesn’t, call your BlackBerry provider. Sometimes, your service could be delayed due to a billing problem or to downtime on the network. - The BlackBerry won’t synchronize properly.
When you have push email, there’s nothing more annoying than seeing messages you’ve already read still in your inbox after you’ve deleted them. Sometimes, BlackBerry users find that this problem happens, and there’s a number of causes as to why. This page from BlackBerry.com explains the causes and how to fix them. - The BlackBerry has backlight or screen delay problems.
Several people on some common BlackBerry forums have mentioned that their device is having backlight problems. These run the gamut from being unable to see the backlight at all to the screen delay flashing off too soon. Depending on which model you have, you can go into your Options or Preferences and select Screen/Keyboard. Here, you can adjust the backlight settings to your preferences. You will want to set the Backlight Timeout to your preferred time setting. This should extend the screen delay and stop it from coming on too soon. Users have reported that this often works, especially if you have an erratic or weak backlight. If this doesn’t work, you can install BBLight, a freeware program that users have found to make their backlight settings more accessible.
