If you're preparing to sell your BlackBerry mobile device or if your device will be under the supervision of a new IT Department, it's important that you wipe all previous data from your device first. The following article offers two simple ways of clearing personal data from your BlackBerry.
We’ve discussed the things that you should look for when deciding to purchase a used BlackBerry, but what about when you are the one doing the selling? What do you need to do to prepare your BlackBerry mobile device for a sale? Well, one of the first things you’ll want to do is clear all of your personal information from the device so that, not only will all of your private contacts and notes saved from a stranger’s view, but the buyer can also avoid the hassle of deleting this information on the BlackBerry as you can then sell it to them in ready to use condition from day one. So how do you go about clearing all of your personal entries (also known as a wipe) on your BlackBerry? Simple.
First, before attempting a wipe, back the device up using the desktop manager. If you are planning on upgrading to another device, this will be useful in transferring all of the information from your old BlackBerry to the new one.
Once the information is backed up on your computer, go to your Options menu and select Security Options. Once inside of that menu, you’ll want to select General Settings and then highlight the password field and click your trackball. Select the Wipe Handheld option and type the word BlackBerry to confirm the wipe. On some BlackBerry models, you don’t have the option of selecting a wipe option from the password field, but you can do so by navigating down to the Services field and clicking your trackball where a pull down menu will then give you the option of wiping your device.
Or, a second way of accomplishing a complete wipe is to simply enter an incorrect password on your BlackBerry 10 times (you can enter it fewer times if you lessen the password attempt number in the General Settings menu under your Security options). You will have to type in the word BlackBerry to confirm a wipe and your BlackBerry will then automatically delete all stored data on the device. (NOTE: If your device is not set to require a password, you may do so by following the same instructions above to get to the General Settings inside your Security Options. From there, you will see the option of enabling a password).
Remember to always backup your BlackBerry before attempting a wipe or any other changes to your device as a safety precaution in case you determine that you would like to still access your stored data in the future.