BlackBerry 10 · classic settings

BlackBerry Settings: nine entries, with the Hub and BlackBerry Balance among them

BlackBerry 10 was the company's last own operating system, and its Settings app is a short list of nine entries with a dark theme and the BlackBerry Hub, the unified inbox, given a row of its own. This page walks those entries as they stood in BlackBerry 10, explains how the older OS 7 rung relates, and links every entry to a screen you can open.

Newest release here
BlackBerry OS 10
Versions you can open
2
Top-level sections
9
Rows in the tree
96
BlackBerry OS 10 home screen in the simulator
Open BlackBerry OS 10 in the simulator →

How BlackBerry OS organises its Settings

Networks and Connections comes first and bundles Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with the car kit and keyboard pairings, and the mobile network, so it is the longest entry. Notifications sets the profile, Normal, Phone Calls Only, Silent or Vibrate Only, with instant previews. Display has the wallpaper and the screen-lock timeout. BlackBerry Hub configures the inbox: display and actions, preview text, instant actions and the accounts feeding it.

Security and Privacy is where BlackBerry earned its reputation: the device password and its prompt on app startup, BlackBerry Balance for separating work and personal, BlackBerry Protect for locating the device, application permissions and encryption. Battery Saving Mode is a level and an automatic switch. Storage and Access covers the device, media card and USB mass storage. Language and Input sets the language, keyboard, word prediction and spell check, and About closes the list with the model, OS, hardware, PIN and software updates.

What changes between versions

Two rungs are here, BlackBerry 10 from 2013 and BlackBerry OS 7 from 2011. The simulator authors the tree at BlackBerry 10 and shows the same nine entries for the OS 7 rung, with About reporting the version you chose; the older system's trackpad-driven Options menu is not separately modelled. BlackBerry 10 in the simulator is drawn in its dark theme with the Hub as a first-class entry.

Three settings worth knowing the path to

  1. Settings > Security and Privacy > BlackBerry Balance

    Splits the phone into work and personal spaces with separate apps and data. It is the feature enterprises bought BlackBerry 10 for and it lives four rows into Security and Privacy.

  2. Settings > BlackBerry Hub > Hub is with me

    Whether the Hub opens with a swipe from anywhere. Turning it off returns the phone to app-by-app notifications, which is what people coming from other phones expected.

  3. Settings > Security and Privacy > Password Prompt on App Startup

    Asks for the device password when a chosen app opens, a per-app lock years before Android had one.

Questions people ask about BlackBerry OS settings

What is the BlackBerry Hub?

The unified inbox in BlackBerry 10, reached with a swipe from any screen and holding email, messages, calls and social notifications. Its Settings entry controls previews, instant actions and which accounts feed it.

Where was Wi-Fi in BlackBerry 10 Settings?

Under Networks and Connections, the first entry, together with Bluetooth and the mobile network. BlackBerry did not give the radios separate rows.

Is this the real BlackBerry OS?

It is a simulation of the Settings app with the entries and wording of BlackBerry 10. The network, PIN and hardware shown are sample values and no apps run.