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Top Four BlackBerry Problems and How To Fix Them
Posted by Cooper on December 5, 2007
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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.
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Filed under : BlackBerry Issues
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27 Comments ↓
what about problems where the call log just erases itself? for exampe, if cannot get to my phone when it is ringing…i get back and it says i have a missed call, i want to view it or close out that window…no matter what i choose, it automatically clears whoever called me. if that person doesn’t leave a voicemail, i’ll never know they called. the same thing with text messages…my phone will alert me of a message whether it and SMS or MMS or yahoo messenger message..but when i go to check it, it’s gone. any idea how this could be fixed?
Hello LOLA, Cooper here.
After doing a little bit of digging, with regards to your stated issue I have come to the conclusion that your problem is related to low memory. Nearly every mention of this call log/SMS vanishing phenomenon has been related to the Pearl.
This is a “known issue” according to various cellphone providers and a patch is being created to address it. Verizon estimates their patch release date to be January 2008.
If you don’t mind, please post what model of BlackBerry you are using and who your carrier is.
In the meanwhile, a suggested course of action is to delete the cache in your web browser, and your old messages. You should also periodically take your battery out and wait 10 seconds and put it back in, and some how that keeps it from deleting.
I have the same problem and was thinking it was just AT&T because I just bought the curve 8310 but had been using a the 8370 thru Sprint (and still access my email with that as well) for the past 2 years and nothing like that has ever happened!!!! No way it’s the memory!!! No way, I just bought the phone after Thanksgiving!
i have a hearring problem with my blackberry 8700c people cannot hear me when they call but i can hear them just fine… help going crazy never had such problems with a phone…. any ideas?
Helppppp!!I just got the blackberry 8800, used, the phone is fine, it receives SMS but i am not able to reply or compose a message. it doesnt gives me the option when i hit the menue key or the track wheel, i restarted the phone and upgraded the software but it doesnt help. Heeeelllp
My sons blackberry 8700c scroll wheel doesn’t click anymore. I can take it apart but how do I change the wheel and where do I get a new wheel?
Thank you,
John
My blackberry 8700’s scroll wheel doesn’t click anymore … how do I fix? Thanks.
David
Hi, the number 8 button just stopped working on my phone a few months ago and I cant figure out why. Is there any way I can fix this myself or do I have to take it to the store? Thanks, mike
Oops, sorry I have the 8100. Thanks, mike
everytime i click the track wheel down, it pushes the qw button. any suggestions?
i just got my BB and i have unlimited texting, but i cant mms??? what do i do???
i was wondering how do you fix a blackberry screen if it doesn’t come on, and is the power light keeps blinking on and off.
I connected my blackberry to my notebook in order to back up my information. When I disconnected it, it stopped working, not powering up at all. I’ve tried everything, downloading different desktop managers with nothing working. I took it to a cellphone repair shop and when the tech checked it out, he said he didn’t have the slightest idea what was wrong with it. I am disgusted. It was the first time I tried to connect it to the computer. And the insurance ran out two weeks before. HELP!
Hi - i have just got a blackberry curve 8310. I live in UAE so etisalat is the service provider. Anyway i am having problems with the browsing as in it comes up for the home page with the message sorry occur, service unavailable. and then when i try to use yahoo messenger it says service not enabled on this handset. i tried calling etisalat and they told me to download the settings again and reinstall them on BB, but this still hasn’t worked. Any suggestions as am getting really hacked off with this now, and there doesn’t seem to be any help/support available from either BB or Yahoo :(
i have this problem with my blackberry8100 i dialed and cantnot her when is ringing i just hear when i press the speaker is anythin the ican do to fixed.
Help my blackberry 8700c is just blinking on and off with a hour glass in the middle.
Help help help
I have a pearl and I continually run out of memory, or so the status says, but I have a media card that say I have 1.8G free of space. How do I ensure my data and app’s are gettin saved on my media card? Thanks!
Every time I go to send a SMS, an X shows up like it didn’t go through. This is for every text I have sent since I got it a few days ago. I am showing full signal strength and have taken the battery out. Any suggestions? Thanks.
My BB 8700v keeps getting turned off during calls despite the fact that the battery is shown as full on my screen. This happens even if I have just fully charged my phone. I am thinking I should buy a new battery. Please advise on what to do.
John: Check out http://www.bbrepairshop.com/ — I can’t recommend them, since I’ve never used them. But I’ve heard a few good things.
David: See above.
Jennifer: Is this with every person you call? If so, it might be the microphone that’s an issue.
Mike: I’d take it to the store, just to be safe. Don’t want to go voiding a warranty.
Yessy: Need more info, specifically your carrier.
moe: You’re going to need to send that to a shop.
Don: Go to an authorized retailer for your carrier. They might be able to flash your phone.
Susannah: Looks like that’s a carrier issue. Maybe they’re blocking those services?
Nick: Can you hear people talking after the phone rings?
Shameka: Bring it to a corporate store and have it flashed.
Maryann: You can’t store apps on a data card. You need to store them locally.
Tasha: You have to call your carrier. This has happened to me once or twice, though it went away in time.
ZN: It might be the battery connection, not the battery itself. I’d have a repair shop look at the connection.
my blackberry world, 6 months old, has recently began having problems with erratic display playing brickbreaker. the screen momentarily freezes while playing so the ball appears then appears somewhere else, sometimes even goes backwards.
crazy… help!
I have a blackberry pearl 8100 from tmobile. i put in sm card 2g and I load music on the phone. it work for three days and screen just went dark black. I can still call people and recieve call but see anything on phone. i took battery out the phone let it sit for a week. the screen came back on. i put the sm card back in the phone I back up all stuff on sm card. I tried to listen music again on the phone. the screen went black again the screen light come on for a sec and then goes back to a black screen. I took back out the sm card I was told tmoblie tech support might have to reset phone.
I need to replace my click wheel on the 8700. How do I take it on and off? thanks!
I have the blackberry Pearl and each couple of hours my messages and call log will automatically delete itself with an egg timer appearing in the middle of the screen for a long period of time. I assume this is to do with the memory but my messages are only 10-15 in number when it deletes them!
I have 8700C and I install the Software Enterprise 4.2.2 and the sinchronization is ok.
After 2 or 3 weeks. I can’t download my e-mail from my Laptop, and I have the following problem:
c:\Doc\bmc\locals\temp\7e23_appcompat.txt
I think is something related with the sinchronization. so to fix this problem I remove the software and I reinstall it again and everything works fine for 2 or 3 weeks and the problems returns again.
Please help me :(
My blackberry got wet (it was in a bag with my water bottle and leaked)I went home and dried it with blow dryer but it is just dark. I tried taking the battery out and back in but nothing is happening.
Tara,
My advice is always to stick it in a bowl of rice for 48 hours. Make sure to wipe dry the connectors on the battery. Don’t try to reconnect the battery. Just let the rice absorb the moisture in the handset, and try to reconnect and turn it on again in 2 days.
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