Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

BlackBerry 6: Wipe Your Smartphone, Restore Factory Settings

Whatever your reason, BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) makes it very easy to security wipe a BlackBerry using its latest mobile OS software

Many reasons exist for why you might want or need to "security wipe" a BlackBerry, or completely erase all personal data stored on your handheld: You got a new smartphone and plan to retire the older device; you're trading in your existing BlackBerry for a new one from your wireless carrier; you and a friend are swapping devices; you loaded too many applications or media and just want to start over from scratch; etc.

Whatever your reason, BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) makes it very easy to security wipe a BlackBerry using its latest mobile OS software, BlackBerry 6. Waaaaay back in the fall of 2008, I wrote a post on how to clean or wipe your BlackBerry smartphone running RIM's OS 5, so those of you with a BlackBerry 5 smartphone will want to jump over to that older tutorial.

The security-wipe process is very similar in both BlackBerry OS 5 and BlackBerry 6--in fact it's even more intuitive in the newer OS. And the following four steps will wipe your BlackBerry smartphone clean and restore the handheld to factory settings in no time. Keep moving for specifics. (Note: If you BlackBerry is connected to a corporate BlackBerry Enterprise Server BES, you may be unable to completely restore your device to factory settings, though you should still be able to wipe it clean, depending on the specific IT policies associated with your device. Check in with your BlackBerry administrator if you encounter issues.)

How to Security Wipe Your BlackBerry 6 Smartphone

1) Begin the BlackBerry security wipe process by opening up the main BlackBerry Options menu--the icon looks like a wrench when using the default BlackBerry theme. (Learn more about BlackBerry themes here.)

2) Next, scroll down to and select the Security option on the following screen, then choose the Security Wipe listing on the next page.

3) The Security Wipe screen displays a number of options and associated checkboxes that let you specific whether you want to delete E-Mail, Contacts, etc., User Installed Applications and/or all the data stored on your Media Card.

4) Finally, to initiate the process, type in the word "BlackBerry" in the confirmation field on the Security Wipe screen, accept any final confirmation pop-ups you may see, and voila, your BlackBerry device is on its way to its factory state. It may take up to an hour to completely wipe your device, depending on how many messages and other data you have stored on-device, so be patient.

When the deletion process is complete, your BlackBerry will restart and another dialogue box appears to ask if you'd like to run the device Set Up Wizard. At that point, your BlackBerry is wiped clean of all data--unless you chose to let third-party app information remain--and factory settings should be restored.

Got a broken BlackBerry keyboard that's keeping you from wiping your handheld using the process above? No worries, you can use any of a number of workarounds, including the free JL_Cmder application.

Check out a full list of all my BlackBerry tips and tricks stories on the CIO.com BlackBerry Bible page.

Al Sacco covers Mobile and Wireless for CIO.com. Follow Al on Twitter @ASacco. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline. Email Al at ASacco@CIO.com.

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: BlackBerry, Motion, Research In Motion, RIM
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: consumer electronics, Phones, research in motion, security, smartphones
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Justifying Business Intelligence Applications
    This white paper explores the decision criteria used in a build vs. buy scenario when considering the Oracle BI Applications. The major benefits of the BI Applications will be discussed in the framework of an overall buy vs. build argument.
    Learn more »
  • A Technical Overview of the Oracle Exadata Database Machine and Exadata Storage Server
    Businesses today increasingly need to leverage a unified database platform to enable the deployment and consolidation of all applications onto one common infrastructure. Whether OLTP, DW or mixed workload a common infrastructure delivers the efficiencies and reusability the datacenter needs – and provides the reality of grid computing in-house. Read on.
    Learn more »
  • Information Security Policies, Standards and Procedure
    As a result of the adjustments in the way business is conducted, ownership of information does not carry the same clear accountability it once did. Physical and behavioural boundaries used to exist around information management but these can be missing in the modern workplace. Clearly thought-out information security policies, standards and procedures addressing internationally supported standards, will go a long way to addressing the risk exposure these changes have created. In this third paper, “Policies, Standards and Procedures,” we discuss guidelines for effective information security management.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments