BlackBerry has posted an update for BlackBerry 10 developers, confirming that the company will continue to support the platform. On the BlackBerry 10 front, not much will change, as the company gears up to release the Priv by BlackBerry, its first Android smartphone. Development continues on BlackBerry 10, as the company has committed to an early 2016 release for BlackBerry 10.3.3.

Additionally, all of the current development environments, such as Native, Cascades, web, etc will continue to be supported. BlackBerry World will remain available for developers to distribute their apps, as well as the Amazon Appstore, and BlackBerry has recently refreshed its Developer Zone and will continue to run its support forums, developer blog, BBM Channel and all other social channels as well. So, even with the first Android-based phone heading to market soon, BlackBerry is not abandoning its previous OS of choice, which is great to see.

Source: BlackBerry

Having issues with being able to integrate your Yahoo mail on your BlackBerry? You're not alone. The issue has arisen for plenty of folks in the CrackBerry Forums recently due to some changes made at Yahoo.

Unfortunately, there is a multitude of reasons an email address can't be added. Fortunately, though, a new BlackBerry Knowledge Base article takes them all into account so that you can handle the issue with whatever one best relates to your situation.

So there you have it. A full list of possible error messages, what could be happening and their possible resolutions to get things back up and running to how they should be. Hopefully that will help some folks out. Though, maybe, you'll want to take this time to consider switching providers.

Over the course of BlackBerry's existence, folks have gone from using BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10 and now, Android. With that in mind, it's not exactly a shocking experience to look around see folks still using older devices. Everyone from the folks you see walking down the street to celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton can still be spotted rocking out with older BlackBerry devices.

Even here on CrackBerry, our older device forums still see lots of traction, so we figured we should toss up a poll and get a look at where most folks are at when it comes to BlackBerry devices. Are you still kicking it really old school on BBOS, perhaps a little newer device BlackBerry 10 is where you remain or have you moved into Android?

Let us know; it'll be interesting to see where the majority of CrackBerry readers. Use the comments to let us know which device you're using and why.

Take a trip down memory lane by checking out the CrackBerry / BlackBerry Collectors Corner forums

In addition to their announcement of Priv no longer receiving monthly security updates, BlackBerry has announced they'll continue to support BB10 and BBOS users for at least another two years but it's not without some caveats. Those caveats include the fact that some services will be shut down over time.

I'm not looking to put words in Alex Thurber's mouth here but really, when I read this, all I see is a 'Sure, we'll keep what we can running over the next two years, but please, just take advantage of the trade-up program'. Services outside of BlackBerry's control have already started breaking down on BlackBerry 10 and it's going to continue to degrade over time, it's just a fact.

If you love BlackBerry 10 and wish to continue using it, cool. But if you're on the fence, might want to hit that trade-up program when the full details come out so you don't miss out on the chance to upgrade. When the full trade-up program details emerge, we'll get them posted up so everyone can take advantage of the offers. Seems a bit silly to tease the program, however. Should have just waited to announce it all at once in my opinion, but hey, at least the silence has ended in regards to BlackBerry 10.

We've been down this road before, but it seems this time around, there will be no reprieve for BBOS or BlackBerry 10 support from WhatsApp. As of December 31, WhatsApp will no longer officially support BBOS or BlackBerry 10 and those still using the apps may see features stop functioning at any time.

As you might be able to tell if you remember the previous announcements, some of the wording has been changed slightly in the most recent update from the WhatsApp FAQ. No longer does it imply the app will be shut down entirely just that now you can no longer create new accounts, nor re-verify existing accounts and some features may stop functioning at any time, especially after December 31, 2017.

In any case, if you're still using the native WhatsApp versions on BBOS or BlackBerry 10, you should make all efforts to move from those apps. Whether that means installing the Android version on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone alongside the fixes that allow for sending multimedia or moving into a new smartphone such as the BlackBerry KEYone or BlackBerry Motion where WhatsApp will still be supported.

Hey all you BlackBerry Curve 9360 owners, now you too can upgrade to OS 7.1.0.190 that the Bold 9900, Torch 9810, and Torch 9860 previously saw. Of course, as this is a leaked OS and not official, if you choose to download it make sure you do a backup first, and let us know in the comments or forums how it works out for you.

*OS Disclaimer - Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). *

Download the leaked OS 7.1.0.190 for the BlackBerry Curve 9360
Discuss in the CrackBerry Forums

Source: N4BB

As I found out earlier this morning, installing another carrier's OS on your BlackBerry isn't as easy as downloading and deleting the vendor.xml file -- now you have to delete both vendor files. It seems that in one of the updates to BlackBerry Desktop Manager, the vendor.xml file is not only located in one folder, but two. In the past you simply had to delete the lone vendor file and you were well on your way to a clean install with either BlackBerry Desktop Manager or App Loader. Now however, you'll need to dive in a bit more before your PC will see the OS - keep reading and we'll tell you how to seek and destroy (ok, find and delete) those pesky vendor.xml files.

How to remove both vendor.xml files from your PC

Now this obviously is only for Windows PCs since you can't install a new OS from a Mac.

• Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion\Apploader
• From there, remove the vendor.xml file

Next, make sure you can view hidden files and folders in Windows Explorer (Tools > Folder Options > View > Show hidden files and folders)

Then, depending on your version of Windows: 

• On Windows Vista/7 navigate to C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Roaming\Research In Motion\BlackBerry\Loader XML (Where "YOUR_USER" is your username)
• On Windows XP navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_USER\Application Data\Research In Motion\BlackBerry\Loader XML (Where "YOUR_USER" is your username)

Remove the vendor.xml file and you're done! Now fire up Deskop Manager or App Loader and you should be able to find the new OS and install away!

Indosat has officially released OS 7.1.0.523 for the Porsche Design P'9981. While this is an official release, remember to use caution when updating your device. If you need help along the way, you can head into our help forums or check out some of our BlackBerry 101 articles including How to Install or Upgrade to a new OS. If you do install this OS, hit up the forums thread below for findings, fixes and more discussion.

Download OS 7.1.0.523 for the P'9981
Discuss more in the forums

* Update 2 from Kevin - 6:40am, Monday morning - I just received word that the Google code issue has been fixed and Youtube videos are working once again on OS 7.1 / 7 phones! * 

* Update from Kevin - Still waiting for official word back from BlackBerry, but sources are telling me it's nothing on the BlackBerry side and the issue can only be replicated on BlackBerry OS 7 and 7.1 devices, over WiFi and various carrier networks. Older BBOS devices (OS 6, 5, 4, etc. are not affected). Also sounds like Google/Youtube has been contacted about the issue. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. We'll keep you posted as we learn more! *

Looking through the CrackBerry forums for the past couple of days, it's looking as though a lot of BlackBerry OS (OS 5,6, 7 and 7.1) users are no longer able to access YouTube videos on their device. I've tested it out on the BlackBerry Z10 and everything appears fine there, so that's a bit weird but I've also been able to recreate the issue on my BlackBerry Bold 9900 that others running a BlackBerry OS device are seeing. The videos show up but cannot be played.

At this time, there isn't any information available as to why things have stopped working but it's looking as though YouTube changed something in how their videos appear. In fact, it's not only affecting BlackBerry devices. Web services and various other apps that tap into YouTube are also coming up borked for many users.

We've reached out BlackBerry to see if they've heard anything on the matter and will update this post if we hear anything. For now, there are a couple of suggestions in the forums as to how to get them working again but none are really ideal and it'd just be easier if Google didn't muck it up in the first place.

AT&T has officially released OS 7.1.0.862 for the BlackBerry Bold 9900. While this is an official release, remember to use caution when updating your device. If you need help along the way, you can head into our help forums or check out some of our BlackBerry 101 articles including How to Install or Upgrade to a new OS. If you do install this OS, hit up the forums thread below for findings, fixes and more discussion.

Download OS 7.1.0.862 for the Bold 9900
Discuss more in the forums

Originally scheduled to reach End of Life status in December 2019 after receiving two years of additional support back in December 2017, BlackBerry has now announced they will continue to support the critical infrastructure and services for BlackBerry 10 as well as network access for BBOS devices beyond 2019.

Much like the previous announcement where BlackBerry noted they would be shutting down some ancillary services such as BlackBerry World, BlackBerry Travel and PlayBook video calling, this announcement has some caveats you'll need to be aware of as well.

While the news of BlackBerry continuing to support the offerings is great, the announcement also highlights the other issue that folks using those devices are continuing to deal with and that's the fact that a lot of the apps and services for those older devices are continuing to disappear or be shut down and finding alternatives is not always easy or guaranteed.

Looking at the original announcement next to this one not much has changed in the wording and I suspect not much will change by way of the 'support' given either. Meaning, I certainly wouldn't expect to see any new BlackBerry 10 updates roll out, some stuff still might break along the way, it just won't be anything deemed a part of the critical infrastructure and things will carry on as they have been for the past two years now, which is certainly fine.

When it comes to BBOS, the situation is a little bit different. BlackBerry has committed to continuing network access but there's no list of partners who will also be going along with those plans. Some carriers already no longer offer BIS services, so while the support might be there from BlackBerry, it might be a bit harder finding the support on the provider side.

I know you all have plenty of thoughts and opinions on this, so be sure to drop them in the comments below.

Following in the footsteps of EE and others, Etisalat UAE recently announced they would be discontinuing BlackBerry Internet Service, including BBM, PIN to PIN, and email services for BlackBerry OS smartphones on March 10, 2020. As part of the announcement, Etisalat noted customers will still be able to use their data allowance for all other internet services.

The announcement doesn't exactly come as a surprise. Despite BlackBerry noting last August that they will continue to offer network access for BlackBerry OS devices, carriers have no requirement to provide it. They can shut down BlackBerry Internet Service whenever they wish. Important to note, however, this announcement will not affect BlackBerry 10 or BlackBerry Android smartphones.

Discuss more in the CrackBerry Forums

Although BlackBerry has extended the life span of BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and PlayBook a few times now, that time has seemingly finally run out. As announced on their software lifecycle page, BlackBerry will be terminating legacy services for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry PlayBook effective January 4, 2022.

As part of the End of Life process, BlackBerry applications and services such as BlackBerry Link, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and BlackBerry Blend will no longer reliably work or will have limited functionality due to the backend infrastructure being removed. BlackBerry has a full list of devices, software, and applications available here.

If you're making use of an Android-based BlackBerry smartphone, it's important to note that none of this applies to you. BlackBerry Android devices will not be impacted, and applications such as BBMe will continue to work per usual unless they are assigned an Enterprise Sim Based License (ESBL).

Some folks will no doubt have additional questions, so be sure to check out the full announcement on the BlackBerry site or swing by the CrackBerry Forums, and we can help with any questions or concerns you may have. This was a long time coming, but it's still a bit sad to see it official. At least we still have a new 5G BlackBerry Android smartphone with a keyboard to look forward to.