BlackBerry World

[JSanders Resident Expert]

You can't effectively filter spam email messages using the firewall...

You can better manage spam using filters on your email server.

Good luck... if you have more questions, please post them

[GRMA · Accepted solution]

Thanks for your reply. From August of last year until last week, I effectively filtered 5105 email messages 287 text messages using the firewall on my BlackBerry.

In fact, when I review my firewall settings now, it still displays the number of blocked email and blocked text messages during that period of time. Why did it work prior to wiping my BlackBerry?

Current settings are as follows:

• Within the Firewall option, Enable is checked.
• Under Block Incoming Messages, Text messages is check and Personal Email is checked.
• Under Exceptions, Contacts is checked. (With this setting checked, I should only be receiving messages from approved email address that are in my Contact list.)

I am not running on a BES network. I am running BIS, which I believe is via my service provider. Do I need to contact my service provider?

[JSanders Resident Expert]

Great! That works for you... I just don't think it is "effective" (mainly for me).

For instance, I do receive many emails from clients (new clients) who may not be in my Address Book.

I want to receive those and not have them blocked.

Using the email spam filter from my email provider (in my case GoDaddy or Gmail), I can train it to know which is spam and which is not. GoDaddy rarely gets them wrong and yes I have to delete a few spam messages each day, but it grabs most spam before ever reaching me. Same for Gmail.

And, I can review those spam messages once a month or so and tell it what might not be spam, so that it will allow those senders in the future. You can't do that with the Firewall.

What if that long lost friend from 30 years ago emailed you and his email address is not in your address book?

[GRMA]

Good point. My long lost friends can find me on Facebook, and they usually do

Also, I am not in sales so it's a not an issue for me. I can see why using that feature might not work for you.

I am just trying to figure out why the firewall on my BlackBerry worked before and not now. When backing up, I manually selected files and I am wondering if I missed a required file for the Firewall.

[GRMA · Accepted solution]

Using the configured settings I described above, I was able to resolve the firewall issue. I am no longer receiving unwanted text messages and email. I still get my email in Outlook, but that's what I want.