How to send and receive money on BBM using PayPal

Thanks to BBM® and PayPal teaming up, BBM is now one of the best ways to simply and easily send and receive funds in supported regions1. Available on iOS, Android™ and BlackBerry® 10, this convenient new feature allows you to send and receive money from friends within a BBM conversation.

To get started, click on the PayPal “Send Money” icon in the attachment menu. The first time you use this feature, you will be prompted to link your PayPal account with your BBM account.

The on-screen instructions will tell you exactly what to do, and future transfers will not require authentication. If at any point you change your mind about allowing transfers, just log into PayPal and change your security settings.

If the contact you’ve selected to receive funds hasn’t linked their PayPal account with their BBM account, BBM will send a prompt asking them to do so.

Once the contact you’re chatting with has linked their PayPal account with BBM, you can enter the amount, review the details, add a message and hit send. This recipient will get a confirmation with your message, the transfer amount and a prompt to check their PayPal account for details.

BBM has always been the best way to connect and share messages, photos and more with speed, control and privacy. Now it’s even better that users will have the ability to send and receive money to friends, family and other contacts.

Like visuals? Watch the video to help you get started:

VIDEO: How to Send Money with PayPal over BBM

Supported countries as of publishing in November of 2015 include: Canada, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and South Africa.

How to hide pictures using BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1

Introduced in BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1, a new option has been added that allows you to hide pictures.

For those that share their device with other people this is a great way to prevent someone from viewing photos you don’t want them to see. Here’s how to do it!

To hide a single picture

   1.   Open the Pictures app

   2. Tap and hold a picture you want to hide

   3. Tap followed by Mark to Hide

The picture is now marked as hidden, but will remain visible until you select to 3hide it using the Hide Items option described below.

To hide multiple pictures

1. In the Pictures app, tap and hold the first picture you would like to hide
2. Tap Select More
3. Tap each picture that you would like to hide
4. Tap Mark to Hide along the bottom toolbar

How to hide pictures

After marking pictures to be hidden, complete the following steps.

1. Open the Pictures app
2. Swipe down from the top of the screen
3. Tap Hide Items

To view hidden pictures again, swipe down from the top of screen followed by tapping Unhide Items.

How to create a Mobile Hotspot using BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1

Did you know that you can share your mobile network connection with other devices such as laptops, gaming devices and more?

Provided your wireless service plan supports the Mobile Hotspot feature, you can create a Wi-Fi network that supports up to eight other devices.

Here’s how to do it!

Note: Additional charges may apply to use Mobile Hotspot mode so check your wireless service plan for applicable rates or contact your wireless service provider. You are responsible for mobile hotspot use and are advised to ensure that connected devices use this service legally. 

1. While viewing the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
2. Tap Settings followed by Networks and Connections
3. Tap Mobile Hotspot
4. Complete the instructions on the screen if you’ve never used Mobile Hotspot mode before (Read these screens carefully as they provide important information about the Mobile Hotspot feature such as mobile hotspot name and password)
5. Set the Mobile Hotspot switch to On

After you set up a mobile hotspot, plug your smartphone into a power source because this feature uses battery power. If you don’t plug in, your smartphone automatically turns off the Mobile Hotspot feature if no traffic to or from the mobile network occurs during a set amount of time (15 minutes by default).

To customize the timer which turns off your mobile hotspot, review the steps on how to find and customize your Mobile Hotspot settings.

Add a mobile hotspot shortcut to the quick-settings menu

For fast access to your Mobile Hotspot, consider adding it to the quick settings menu. Doing so allows you to turn your mobile hotspot on or off with a single tap.

1. Swipe down from the top of the home screen
2. Tap Settings followed by Quick Settings
3. Select the check box next to Mobile Hotspot

After you add the shortcut to your quick settings menu, tap the Hotspot icon to quickly turn your Mobile Hotspot on or off. To edit your mobile hotspot settings if needed, tap Hotspot instead of the circular icon.

Find and customize your Mobile Hotspot settings

The first time you setup the Mobile Hotspot you will need to customize a few settings. Later, if you want to change these settings, such as your network name, or password complete the steps below:

1. While viewing the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
2. Tap Settings followed by Networks and Connections
3. Tap Mobile Hotspot
4. Tap

Disconnect a device from your Mobile Hotspot

1. On the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
2. Tap Settings followed by Networks and Connections
3. Tap Mobile Hotspot
4. Tap the name of the device that you want to disconnect
5. Tap

Note: After you disconnect a device from your mobile hotspot, if you want to connect the device again you must start a new session in Mobile Hotspot mode.

Troubleshooting Mobile Hotspot

If you are running into trouble using the Mobile Hotspot feature here a few things you will need to double check:

• Verify your device is connected to the mobile network and that you can browse the website successfully using your device’s web browser. Doing so will verify that your device’s data connection is working properly.
• Verify that your wireless service plan supports the use of the Mobile Hotspot feature. If not, you need to change your service plan before Mobile Hotspot mode will properly function.
• If you are roaming, verify that your wireless service plan allows the use of the Mobile Hotspot feature. If so, verify that Data Services while Roaming is enabled.

            - On the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen

            - Tap Settings followed by Networks and Connections

            - Tap Mobile Network

            -  Set Data services while roaming to On 

• If you do not see the Mobile Hotspot option on your device, and you are using your device for work, your organization might not allow this feature. Contact your IT department or administrator for guidance.
• Depending on your wireless service plan, you might not be able to connect multiple devices to your mobile hotspot, or the number of devices you can connect might be less than eight.

How to setup Contacts & Calendar sync using BlackBerry Link 1.1.1 for Windows

With the release of BlackBerry Link 1.1.1 for Windows, a new feature has been added that allows you to synchronize your local Microsoft Outlook contacts and\or calendar data between your computer and a BlackBerry 10 device running BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.1 or later.

Note: Using a Mac? An updated version of BlackBerry Link that offers two way contact synchronization is now available. To get it, visit http://www.blackberry.com/blackberrylink

Here’s a quick overview of how to set up contacts and/or calendar synchronization as well some troubleshooting tips in case you run into some issues.

Before we begin, you’ll need to ensure you are using BlackBerry Link 1.1.1.26 or later. To get the latest version go tohttp://www.blackberry.com/blackberrylink.

How to set up and synchronize your contacts and/or calendar data with Microsoft Outlook

1. On your computer, open BlackBerry Link and connect your device
2. Along the bottom toolbar, click your device
3. Click the Settings icon
4. In the Settings view, click Synchronization
5. Click Configure
6. Select the account that contains the contacts you want to sync with followed by clicking Select Account
7. Click Configure next to Contacts and/or Calendar to set up sync preferences.                                    - If you want to choose additional folders to sync, click the Add Folder icon
8. Click OK
9. Click Sync Contacts/Calendar

To synchronize again in the future, when you connect your device and open BlackBerry Link an option to Sync Contacts/Calendar will appear in the device menu along the bottom toolbar.

Troubleshooting Tips

How can I turn on automatic synchronization?

To sync content automatically whenever you connect your device to your computer, complete the following steps:

1. Open BlackBerry Link and connect your device
2. Select your device along the bottom toolbar
3. Click the Settings icon in the top right corner
4. Within Synchronization settings, check the box next to Sync contact automatically when the device is connected with a USB cable

After synchronization, I can’t see my contacts and/or calendar data on my device?

Verify that your contacts and calendar sync preferences, including the option to sync automatically, are set correctly. Complete the following steps to review these settings:

1. Open BlackBerry Link and connect your device
2. Select your device along the bottom toolbar
3. Click the Settings icon in the top right corner
4. Within Synchronization settings, verify the correct account is selected.                                             - If an incorrect account is selected, click Reset Settings followed by selecting the correct account
5. If the correct account is selected, click Configure next to Contacts or Calendar
6. Review and verify the Folders To Sync settings are correct and point to the location of your personal data stored within Microsoft Outlook

If you are still unable to identify the correct location of your contacts and/or calendar data, please contact your administrator for additional assistance.

I can’t find my device synchronization settings in BlackBerry Link

Complete the following steps to review and customize your device synchronization settings. An important thing to keep in mind is that unless your device is connected to your computer, you will not be able to review your synchronization settings.

1. Open BlackBerry Link and connect your device
2. Select your device along the bottom toolbar
3. Click the Settings icon in the top right corner
4. Within Synchronization settings, click Configure next to Contacts or Calendar
5. Review and customize the following settings:

            - Sync direction

            - Conflict Resolution

            - Folders to Sync

How do I set up conflict resolution & prompt on deletion settings?

Conflict resolution settings can be found within your device synchronization settings that are stored in BlackBerry Link. Complete the following steps to review your conflict resolution settings:

1. Open BlackBerry Link and connect your device
2. Select your device along the bottom toolbar
3. Click the Settings icon in the top right corner
4. Within synchronizations settings, click Configure next to Contacts or Calendar
5. To get notified of deletions, check the box next to Notify me if synchronizing contact will delete content from my device or computer
6. Review and customize the following settings:

             - Sync direction

             - Conflict Resolution

             - Folders to Sync

How to protect your SIM card with a PIN using BlackBerry 10

Did you know that you can use a SIM card PIN to prevent unauthorized use of your SIM card in another device? For example, if you lost your device while traveling, the SIM Card PIN feature will prevent someone from using your SIM in another device unless they enter the correct SIM Card PIN.

In other words, the SIM Card PIN can stop someone from using your wireless plan until you can contact your service provider and ask them to disable your SIM card.

Here’s how to take advantage of this feature!

NOTE: In order to use this feature you will need to contact your service provider and request the current PIN for your SIM card.

How to customize SIM Card PIN Lock settings

1. On the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
2. Tap Settings
3. Tap Security and Privacy
4. Tap SIM Card
5. Turn on the SIM Card PIN Lock switch
6. Enter the SIM Card PIN that your service provider gave you

WARNING: If you exceed the number of allowable attempts to enter the SIM card PIN, your SIM card will stop functioning. In this scenario, contact your service provider for assistance with unblocking your SIM card.

Change your SIM Card PIN

1. On the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
2. Tap Settings
3. Tap Security and Privacy
4. Tap SIM Card

• To change the PIN that protects your SIM card, tap Change PIN 1
• To change the PIN that controls access to calling features such as fixed dialing, tap Change PIN 2

How to create a BlackBerry ID using your computer

Whether you just ordered your first BlackBerry 10 device or you’re getting ready to try out BBM, you’ll need to create a BlackBerry ID.

Simply put, a BlackBerry ID allows you to access to BlackBerry products and services. It can also help you when switching devices by automatically transferring some of your email accounts and services, such as your BBM contact list, between smartphones. Having a BlackBerry ID also provides you with access to the BlackBerry World storefront and protection of your financial transactions when using BlackBerry Services (for example buying a sticker pack in BBM).

To help you get started here’s a quick overview of how to create your very own BlackBerry ID!

1. Browse to http://bbid.com

2. Click Create a new BlackBerry ID online

3. Enter the following:

       -  First & Last Name

       -  Screen Name – This is the name that will appear when leaving reviews in BlackBerry World

       -  Password – Passwords must be between 6 and 20 characters in length, and may contain letters (A- 

                              Z, a-z), numbers (0-9) and punctuation marks (^_#+^”?!=.{}~`&)

       -  Username – The email address that will be used as your BlackBerry ID username

4. Enter your Password Recovery details

       -   Password Recovery Question

       -   Answer

5.  Check the box to receive more information about BlackBerry products and services (optional)

6.  Enter the verification code shown in the image

7.  Click Submit

After completing these steps an email will be sent to the email address you entered as your username. Within 72 hours, access this email account and look for a message from donotreply@blackberry.com with the subject ‘Your BlackBerry® ID has been created’. Review the contents of the message, then click ‘confirm your email address’, which will complete the BlackBerry ID registration process.

Confirming your account is important because it can help you recover your BlackBerry ID if you forget your password.

If you don’t confirm your account within 72 hours of signing up for a BlackBerry ID you can confirm your account using the steps below:

   1.  Browse to http://bbid.com

   2.  Login using your BlackBerry ID login credentials

   3.  Click Confirm my email

  4.  Open the email from donotreply@blackberry.com with the subject ‘Confirm your BlackBerry® ID email address’

   5.  Click ‘confirm your email address’

After completing these steps you have successfully created your BlackBerry ID!

How to turn on Private Browsing using BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.2

The next time you are shopping for a surprise gift for someone, consider using the Private Browser instead of the normal Browser on your BlackBerry 10 device.

Reason being, Private Browsing will prevent your device from storing any information – for example, any pages you may have visited, cached files, cookies and so on. In other words, any trace of websites you visit while using the Private Browser will be removed when it’s closed.

So, if you lend your device to a friend and they use the Browser, they won’t be able to see which websites you visited, which is great if you are planning a surprise!

Here’s how to turn on Private Browsing!

1. Open the BlackBerry 10 Browser
2. Tap the box icon in the bottom left corner (the red arrow)

   3. From the menu that appears, tap Private Browsing

   4. The Private Browser will open, denoted by a blue address bar as per the following screenshot

   5. When finished with the Private Browser, close it like any other app on your device!

Tip: When you select Private Browsing, a new browser window will open, and the normal Browser will be minimized. To return to the normal browser, swipe up from the bottom your screen to minimize the Private Browser.

How to reinstall BlackBerry World using the BlackBerry World Recovery Tool

Every now and then in the CrackBerry Forums, I see posts from folks having issues with BlackBerry World. For the most part, the issues are easily resolved by reboot or simple refresh of BlackBerry World or just simply waiting it out if it's a known issue but in some rare cases, BlackBerry World simply refuses to load no matter what measures are taken with errors ranging from 'You must upgrade your BlackBerry World' to 'Unable to connect. Please try again later'.

In those cases, a reinstallation of BlackBerry World is often the solution to get things back up and running smoothly, but what's the best way to do that? One could dig the .BAR file out of a previous leaked OS and install it using something like Sachesi but that's shall we say, not really user-friendly, right? One wouldn't expect most people to take that route, so there has to be an easier way, right? Luckily, there is.

It's called the BlackBerry World Recovery Tool and it's available as a download from the BlackBerry site. Should you ever have issues with BlackBerry World not loading on your device and it's not a case of scheduled maintenance or network connectivity, it could be the key to getting BlackBerry World up and running for you once again. So what does it do? Well, as BlackBerry puts it.

This tool is provided as a means to recover a non-functional BlackBerry World (BBW) application/client on any BB10 device (OS version 10.0.x, 10.1.x, 10.2.x, 10.3.x). This tool can only be executed from a Windows PC (MAC not supported) and your BB10 device must be plugged into this PC via USB. Upon execution, the tool will detect the BB10 Device OS you are running, automatically deliver the appropriate BBW version for that OS and do a force installation of this BBW version over any (presumed non-functional) BBW application that may or may not be present on the device. After successful execution of this tool, you should then be able to immediately launch and use the BBW client.

Once you have the app downloaded, all you need to do is connect your BlackBerry 10 smartphone to the computer via a USB cable and run the recovery tool and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the install. After that, you'll have the latest version of BlackBerry World for your specific device/OS installed and things should run tip-top for you. In an ideal world, such a tool wouldn't need to exist, but it's nice to know that one does should issues arise.

Now tell the truth, how many of you even knew this tool existed? Because I certainly didn't know, even though it has been around for quite a long time apparently.

How to monitor and manage mobile data usage with BlackBerry 10.3

There's nothing worse than getting your monthly carrier bill and finding out that you've exceeded your data allowance and now have to part with some extra cash to cover it. Luckily with BlackBerry 10 you can easily keep an eye on the amount of data you use and can also be notified when you're getting close to your limit - nice!

Each year carriers tend to give us a greater allowance of mobile data which is all well and good, but to coincide with it, the amount of data that us mobile users get through also increases as we stream music, video and utilize cloud storage just to name a few. In the past, us BlackBerry users maybe didn't get through the same volume of data as our Android and iOS buddies, but that's very much now changed.

Sure, some users will have unlimited data plans and won't have to worry about data usage, but the majority will have a cap, whether big or small. So why not take two minutes to set up the data monitor and have one less thing to worry about?

Here's how:

• Open Settings
• Select Data Management
• Select the blue text under the words 'Data Usage Notification Settings'
• Enter your required data allowance, early data limit notification and monthly reset date

And you're done. A simple adjustment to your BlackBerry, but possibly a big weight lifted from your shoulders.

How to set automatic replies for internal and external addresses on OS 10.3.1

When I'm out of the office I always make sure I turn on my out of office rely messages. Normally, when this option is activated on your device, the message sent is what both people outside and inside your organization will see. By default, it enables only the inside your organization message.

For those of you familiar with Microsoft Outlook, you know that it goes one step further and allows users to create a separate reply for both. What this means is that if you created an out of office reply on your device, it required you to either be on Outlook or Outlook Web Access to set up the other reply.

One of the new features introduced for OS 10.3.1, and is applicable for those who have their work account on their device, is being able to set up a specific reply for your internal contacts (within your organization) and external contacts (outside your company). Whether you are in the office or at home and simply forgot to turn it on, users now have the ability to create and send automatic replies for both options for their Microsoft

All you have to do is follow these simple steps.

• Go into the BlackBerry Hub
• Tap the three dots in the lower hand corner and select Settings
• Tap on the email account you wish to create automatic replies for. Note: Not all accounts support this feature. This is for MS Exchange accounts.
• Turn on Send Automatic Replies
• There are two fields with which you can type a message. The first box is the Inside the Organization option. It is here you can enter in a message that only those within your company will see. The second box is the Outside of the Organization box. From here you can enter in a message that all outside contacts will see.
• Underneath each field is the ability to set a specific date range (start and end date and time) for sending automatic replies.

Once you have configured all of the options, tap on the Back button to save your changes.

How to set up an email signature using BlackBerry 10

Customizing email signatures when using BlackBerry 10 is really easy, and is a great way to personalize your emails.

For example, you can include your title and contact details, a favorite quote, your BlackBerry ID, or your BBM PIN – the possibilities are endless. 

Here’s how to do it!

Adding an email signature

1. In the BlackBerry Hub, tap
2. Tap Settings followed by Email Accounts
3. Tap an email account.
4. Turn on the Auto Signature switch
5. Type your signature in the field

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn off my signature temporarily?

• To stop adding your signature to emails you compose, turn off the Auto Signature option. To do this, go to Settings followed by Email Accounts, tap on the email account you’d like to modify followed by turning off the Auto Signature switch

Can I use more than one signature per email address?

• BlackBerry 10 allows you to set up one signature per email address.

Can I use HTML, or a picture in my signature?

• Email signatures set up on a BlackBerry 10 can contain plain text only so including HTML, or a picture isn’t supported

How to Mark Prior Read or Delete Prior using BlackBerry 10

For times when you need to perform some bulk email management on your device, here are two important things you’ll want to know. The first is the Mark Prior Read option which will mark multiple items as read, the second is Delete Prior which will remove a group of messages.

When using either option, be mindful of your current Hub view. For example, if you are viewing the default Hub view, the Mark Prior Read and Delete prior options will affect interactions across any account you have setup on your device. To use this option on a specific account only, for example your Twitter account, tap

and select which specific account you would like view.

Here’s a quick overview of how to use these options!

Step 1 – While viewing the Hub, tap and hold on a date banner

Step 2 – A menu will appear along the right side of the screen

• Tap to Mark Prior Read
• Tap to Delete Prior

Note: Depending on how your email account is set up, messages that are removed from your smartphone as a result of using the Delete Prior option will also be removed from your mailbox. To review your “Delete On” settings, go to the Hub > tap >Settings > Display and Actions > Delete On.

How to turn a BlackBerry 10 device into a USB thumb drive

Do you have a micro SD media card in your BlackBerry 10 device?

If so, did you know you can turn your media card into a USB thumb drive?

The benefit of turning your media card into a USB thumb drive is that it allows you to access your device’s media card content without the need to install drivers on a computer. For example, I’ll use this option whenever I visit my parents and want to copy some of my pictures onto their computer.

Want to try it out? Here’s how to do it!

Note: If USB Mass Storage Mode is enabled, BlackBerry Link and File Manager connections will not work. In order to restore functionality, turn off USB Mass Storage mode when not in use.

From the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen

1. Tap Settings
2. Tap Storage and Access
3. Tap Access using USB
4. Turn on USB Mass Storage Mode

After completing these steps all that’s left to do is connect your device to you’re a USB port on your computer or vehicle.