How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

TiffJ — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 11:21:27 GMT

BlackBerry Internet services known as BIS will be closing on 31st October 2019 for Consumer and 15th November 2019 for Small Business and Corporate customers, so you won’t be able to use the following applications with your BlackBerry device: BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry World, BlackBerry Email, Facebook and web browsing. You'll still be able to use your phone to make and receive calls, send and receive texts, and may be able to use data through a WiFi connection or your data plan allowance.

See below for more information and help.

Which devices will be affected?

All pre BlackBerry 10 BB10 i.e. Curve, Bold, Torch, Storm, Porsche will not have access to the BlackBerry Internet Services All BlackBerry 10 and above will continue to work as normal.

Why is BlackBerry Internet Service closing?

Since its introduction, handset and network technology has rapidly progressed with the launch of smartphones and the 4G network . As a result, BlackBerry Internet Service is outdated and no longer supported.

I’m not using a BlackBerry device; will this change affect me?

No, there will be no change to your other existing services. If you were paying an additional monthly charge for this service, this will be removed from your account and no longer charged.

Does the closure affect other services I have with T-Mobile or EE?

Other services you have with EE or T-Mobile aren’t affected.

How do I access my company data like intranet now that the BES service is being switched off?

The act of withdrawing support for BES and BIS will only affect those customers using an original Blackberry handset running the Blackberry operating system. If you are one of these customers you will lose all access to the Blackberry infrastructure services, and to continue to access your company data you will need to implement a mobile data VPN service.

Can I still get my emails?

No, as the service closes on 15th November 2019, you will no longer be able to view, send or receive emails from the device.

What happens to emails sent to my BlackBerry email address?

Any messages sent to your old email address will not be received. After a couple of days, the sender will likely receive an email saying their email wasn’t delivered.

Will people receive the auto reply message I set up before the service closes?

This will only work until 15th November 2019, after that the auto reply message will no longer be sent.

Will there be an alternative email service?

No. If you don’t already have an alternative email address with another email provider and need to create a new address, we recommend Google’s Gmail.

Gmail offers a whole host of benefits such as access across different devices, 15GB of free storage and a simple email address format, ending with @gmail.com.

Create a new Gmail account >

Got another email address?

If you used your BlackBerry email address as a username or contact address for other services, you’ll need to let these services know your new address.

Checklist for updating your email address

Use our handy checklist below to make sure you inform everyone who may try to contact you on your old BlackBerry address. For an easy to print list download the attachment at the bottom of this message.

1. Airlines/frequent flyer programmes
2. Alert subscriptions (weather, sport, news, etc)
3. App stores (Apple, iTunes, Google Play, etc)
4. Banks/building societies/financial investments/PayPal
5. Car service/retailer/manufacturer/warranty/breakdown
6. Charities you support and receive newsletters from
7. Childcare vouchers
8. Children’s email accounts linked to parent’s email address
9. Cinema/theatre listings
10. Cloud storage and file transmission (Dropbox, WeTransfer, Amazon Photos, etc)
11. Collaboration tools (Slack, Lync, Skype, etc)
12. DVLA
13. E-newsletters
14. EBay
15. Electrical warranty provider
16. Employment agencies/recruitment consultants
17. Estate agents
18. Family activity providers (drama school, tennis, swimming, etc)
19. Games console accounts (Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, etc)
20. Government gateway (HMRC services, tax returns, etc)
21. Groupon
22. Gumtree
23. Gym/leisure memberships/organisations
24. Holiday clubs/after-school clubs
25. Insurance services (home, travel, car, medical, etc)
26. Library
27. Loyalty schemes (Nectar, Boots Advantage Card, Tesco Clubcard, etc)
28. Maintenance contracts (window cleaner, service charges, etc)
29. Medical services (doctors, hospitals, etc)
30. Newspaper and magazine accounts/subscriptions
31. Nursery/school/university/alumni
32. Online comparison sites (Compare the Market, Uswitch, Confused.com, etc)
33. Online discount sites (Money Saving Expert, Quidco, TopCashback, etc)
34. Professional societies/subscriptions
35. Retailers (groceries, clothing, household, Amazon, etc)
36. Social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc)
37. Software subscriptions (e.g. Office 365)
38. Streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Now TV, etc)
39. Telecoms providers (landline, mobile phone, broadband, etc)
40. Travel services (Trainline, Trip Advisor, Expedia, etc)
41. Utility companies (gas, electricity)
42. Vets/microchip registrations

If you have any questions or concerns please tap "reply" below and we'll be happy to lend a hand.

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 11:55:29 GMT

Whose doing is this, Blackberry's or EE's?

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

SueZ — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 19:16:51 GMT

I don't use blackberry email on my blackberry curve I use gmail. Will I still have access to this?

Also how do I check if I can still use the internet?

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

XRaySpeX — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 19:19:37 GMT

@SueZ : Yes or any other email provider.

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

Christopher_G — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 08:56:55 GMT

Hi @SueZ

Welcome to the community.

You may be able to use the internet on your BlackBerry Curve over WiFi.

Chris

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

path6336 — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 10:27:51 GMT

Its EE that are closing early. Blackberry have committed to keeping the BIS service alive after December and O2, Vodafone are still available with BIS.

I will be requesting a PAC and transferring to Giffgaff, who use O2.

It does not only affect blackberry email, any email using the BIS service for the extra security, including gmail, will be stopping, unless you are using Opera mini as the web browser and accessing Gmail on tge web.

topic Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me? in Archived Posts

How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

Which devices will be affected?

Why is BlackBerry Internet Service closing?

I’m not using a BlackBerry device; will this change affect me?

Does the closure affect other services I have with T-Mobile or EE?

How do I access my company data like intranet now that the BES service is being switched off?

Can I still get my emails?

What happens to emails sent to my BlackBerry email address?

Will people receive the auto reply message I set up before the service closes?

Will there be an alternative email service?

Got another email address?

Checklist for updating your email address

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?

Re: How will the Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) closure affect me?