BlackBerry® Device software

[Pusser]

I have just got a new PAYG SIM card for my Betterware and put it in my BB Torch.

I got a message from BB Protect that the SIM had been changed, which made me think about what if the phone had been stolen and SIM changed.

I tried the loud ring, the locator and the message facilities from the Protect website - all of which stuck at "waiting for device to respond".

Does this mean that if the phone is stolen and the SIM changed then BB Protect in effect ceases to be useful?

Let's be honest, if the phone were stolen then a new SIM is likely....

[Pusser]

BTW when I reinserted original SIM, loud ring and message came through. I assume this does mean that Protect is SIM related rather than device related???

[JSanders Resident Expert · Accepted solution]

Yes, by changing the SIM card you've disconnected the device from your BIS account and disconnected it from access to you.

Somethings cannot be prevented, just like you can't prevent the thief from stomping on the device and crushing it. No software will 'disable' that.

[Pusser]

Thought as much - shame as the device still retains the same PIN.

[JSanders Resident Expert]

Righto. 

But do you want the thief to change the SIM and still be able to receive/send and use your data account, email, etc.? Nope.

[Pusser]

Absolutely not

Would like to be able to disable phone as well, but as you say, can't do once disconned from BIS.

Now going to chain BB to my wrist - still wouldn't stop somebody dismembering me for it though!!

[JSanders Resident Expert]

Well, I think you need to understand the real premise of an app like Protect or SmrtGuard is actually NOT to physically 'prevent' theft or rescue the device from a thief, but to "protect" your data, which in most cases is more important than the hardware itself, to many people.

BlackBerry Protect (when you've lost it or it's been stolen) will send a backup command, wipe command and a message to the device, as long as the SIM is still inserted. Once the SIM is removed (or if the device is thrown in a lake or run over by a truck on a highway) nothing really can help you. By then, hopefully, you've been running Protect and have daily made the automatic backups and are theoretically no more than 23:59 hours away from your latest device backup and data.

If the device is lost, just misplaced, the app can be greatly useful in locating it or making the loud ringtone so you can find it. Likewise, after a certain amount of time lost, you can simply send the lock or wipe command -- to protect your data from theft by another.

[kris_kinnear_11]

If my phone was to be lost/stolen/stop working, how would i go to retrieve my data? is there somehwere i can log into on my computer to view my data?

[BillJ]

If you've done regular backups with BlackBerry Protect, you can access those backups from another BlackBerry once you sign into the BlackBerry Protect website.  Those backup files are inaccessible without a BlackBerry device to which to download them.

I hope that helps you. 

[Gandalf87264]

So, what you are telling us in effect is that, once the phone has been stolen, and the simm card changed, and lets say for arguements sake, enabled BIS, I can't trace it's location. I can't backup or delete data, nor can I set a stiff password on it and make it unusable. Is this correct? If that is the case then Blackberry Protect is utterly useless.