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BlackBerry 10 has come a long way since it was first introduced, so much that we're having a hard time keeping track of what's new in each OS update. We've done some leg work with plenty of help from the CrackBerry forums (seriously - you guys are a huge resource) and have compiled a master change log for all of the major OS updates thus far.

While we've tried to pin down everything the best we can, keep in mind that we may have missed a few small features here and there. If you know of anything that should be added for any of the previous releases, be sure to drop a comment and we'll get the list updated. We'll keep this one going as more updates are officially released so be sure to check back when you want to find out what's new.

Jump to: 10.0.1 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 10.2.1 | 10.3

10.0.1

February 2013

OS 10.0.1 was the first update from BlackBerry after the initial release of BlackBerry 10. The update brought along mostly fixes but added things like improved Bedside Mode, camera optimizations and battery life improvements.

  • 3rd Party App Performance - improved performance for 3rd party applications, so developers can build apps that run fast and smooth
  • Phone, Calendar, and Contacts - fixes for Gmail calendars, improvements in the BlackBerry Hub for logging calls log, general improvements to importing contacts from online sources
  • Camera -  optimized the camera for better photos in low-light situations
  • Browser and Media - a number of improvements to the software in the way the browser handles video playback
  • Battery Life - over 60 battery saving improvements

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10.1

July 2013

The OS 10.1 release was the first major OS update for BlackBerry 10. Here users got added features that included message gestures in the Hub, simple password support, email sync settings and much more.

  • Next/previous message navigation shortcut: use a simple gesture to quickly move to the last or next message without having to return to the full message list. Within any message in the BlackBerry Hub:
  • Swipe to the right and then down (like an upside-down L) to move forward to the next message
  • Swipe to the right and then up (like a backwards L) to move back to the previous message
  • Keyboard shortcut for last unread message: on the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone, pressing the “U” key in the BlackBerry Hub will take you to the last unread message
  • Email synchronization: ActiveSync and IMAP email users can adjust syncing preferences to keep emails on their BlackBerry smartphone for an unlimited time period
  • Two factor authentication for Twitter and LinkedIn: to improve security, if you have two factor authentication enabled for LinkedIn and Twitter, you’ll be sent a verification ID via a text message that you’ll enter into the settings when setting up those accounts
  • Addition of a search field in BlackBerry Remember: quickly search for items in the app
  • Support for simple passwords: simplified password entry from the lock screen and work space authentication prompts. The simple password feature utilizes a reduced keyboard layout containing only numeric characters and allows you to set a numeric PIN for your smartphone or work space password
  • New interactive tutorials:
    • Tutorial topics: swipe up from the bottom to close an app, swipe down from the top to reveal settings
    • Each tutorial provides text instructions and an opportunity to perform the gesture
  • IT policy to separate work and personal accounts in the BlackBerry Hub:
    • BlackBerry Hub Work displays only work-related accounts, like a work email account and enterprise instant messaging
    • BlackBerry Hub Personal displays only personal-related accounts, like a personal email account, SMS, BBM, phone calls and social media apps
  • Input support for “strokes” for Simplified and Traditional Chinese
  • Input and UI translation for Korean
  • BlackBerry World:
    • Ability to view video previews in landscape mode via HDMI out
    • UX enhancements
    • Recently viewed:
      • See up to the last 12 pieces of content you’ve viewed
      • Clear all recently viewed items or remove individual ones by long pressing and selecting delete viewed item from the context menu
      • Enable a private browsing mode that will disable both recent search tracking and recently viewed
    • My Wishlist:
      • Add items to your wish list from a content details page
      • Add up to 48 items to your wish list. When the 49th item is added, the first item added to the list is automatically removed
    • Facebook:
      • Newsfeed UI refresh
      • Ability to create a photo album before uploading a photo and upload a photo to a specific album
      • Ability to tag friends in photos that were previously uploaded
    • Twitter:
      • Content is automatically updated in all tabs without having to manually refresh
      • Improved search for top tweets, photos and related profiles
    • LinkedIn:
      • Import and invite contacts from your personal email address to connect on LinkedIn through the new Add Connections page in settings
      • Easily view the number of unread messages and invitations from the inbox page
      • UI improvements
      • View the details of companies you follow and follow suggested companies
      • Delete and archive messages in the inbox
      • See the most recent updates from your network when the app is minimized in Active Frames
      • Change your profile photo from the You page, the full screen view of your photo or the native picture viewer
      • Search by connection name, headline and company

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10.2

October 2013

OS 10.2 was a vast improvement over the initial BlackBerry 10 release. This release added many big new features that included lock screen notifications, priority hub, instant previews, Miracast and Bluetooth 4.0 support.

  • Lock screen notification previews - Users can now view notifications from the lock screen for email, SMS, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other native applications.
  • Priority Hub - Priority Hub allows users to view their priority messages in the Hub quickly and easily. Priority items are tagged with a red stripe and are specified as high-priority, messages from conversations you started or contacts with the same last name.
  • Attachment view - This view in the Hub allows you to see any files that you have received in messages, organized by sender, date, name or file type.
  • Instant preview and reply - Instant previews are available for email, SMS, BBM, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The previews show in the form of a dropdown when in any application and allow for quick viewing of messages. SMS and BBM also allow for quick reply from the notification dropdown.
  • I Will be Late - Added to the Calendar popup, the I Will Be Late message allows users to send a message to attendees notifying if you will be late for a scheduled appointment. 
  • Reply Now - This feature lets you send a BBM or SMS when declining an incoming call. 
  • New copy/paste buttons - The copy/paste features have been revamped with a new UI and simpler menu.
  • New typing audio feedback - Added feedback for touchscreen keyboards
  • Stand-alone Evernote - Evernote is now a standalone app though it still integrates with BlackBerry remember
  • Adaptive Sharing - The sharing menu now adapts to your use and shows services to which you share more frequently on top of the share menu.
  • Natural Sound - Natural Sound is high-quality audio for the BlackBerry Z30 as well as additional codecs added to earlier devices.
  • Miracast and Wi-Fi Direct - Miracast support allows wirelessly shunting the image on your device to another, bigger screen. This is done over Wi-Fi Direct, which basically connects two devices by one starting up its own little hotspot and the other connecting to it. Wi-Fi Direct support has a wide range of uses, including file transfers and syncing. 
  • USB Host - USB host adds new features for connectivity including USB flash drive support via a PC.
  • Android Jelly Bean Runtime - A new runtime for Android 4.2.2 apps
  • Bluetooth 4.0 - Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy allows for consistent, low-demand connections via Bluetooth
  • Camera updates - Autofocus logic improved, grid options added, share and delete added to preview.
  • More Smart Tag options - Adds Smart Triggers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Contact, Event, and Geo Location for NFC tags
  • Browser improvements
  • New Device Monitor - Native app to view CPU and battery usage on the device
  • Multiple Alarms - Ability to set multiple alarms within the clock app
  • Group SMS  - A new checkbox that pops up when adding multiple people to a new SMS that enables group conversations
  • Dark and light themes - Specific apps let you switch between dark and light UI themes, including calendar and contacts. 
  • Keypress speed dial - It doesn't work quite like it used to, in that you have to launch the phone app before holding down the key you assign to a contact, but it's still fairly convenient if you're running low on space with the software-based quick dial shortcuts. 

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10.2.1

January / February 2014

OS 10.2.1 is here, and along with a host of productivity and BlackBerry OS throwback features (like speed dialing off the keyboard), 10.2.1 also brings with it the ability to install Android apps directly onto BB10.

  • Remote search of emails older than 60 days
  • Bluetooth Sharing through Android Runtime
  • Video Call has the new call screen 
  • FM Radio (Only Q10, Q5, Z30.. Z10 does not support this)
  • Wi-Fi Direct
  • Miracast
  • Share Screen
  • Direct Install of APK Files on device through File Manager or Browser
  • Media Volume displays at top of screen
  • New incoming call screen 
  • Update to Device Monitor app
  • Update to Data Monitor app
  • Clock App includes Accuweather information
  • Flashlight app added (can be accessed from Quick Settings)
  • Ability to arrange accounts in the Hub
  • Pinch gesture in the Hub for quick access to specified messages
  • Changes to battery icon
  • Changes to charging icon
  • Battery shows percentage in peek view
  • Updates to native weather app
  • New Quick Settings functionality for dropdown menu
  • Updates to Media Player
  • Added Picture Password 
  • Speed Dial from homescreen (Q10)
  • Added Contact Groups
  • Custom contact profiles for email, SMS, BBM and phone calls
  • Delete options from Hub (device and/or server)
  • Face detection toggle in Camera
  • Airplane-Mode automatically turned on in Bedside Mode 
  • Lockscreen previews open directly to application
  • New native wallpapers added
  • Next email toggle inside email messages
  • Updated Twitter app
  • BBM adds vibrate on ping and new emoticons
  • White balance adjuster in display settings
  • IBM notes traveler in accounts settings
  • Wolfram Alpha commands
  • Dropdown Menu now includes:
    • Flashlight App Button (new app to 10.2.1.xxxx)
    • Brightness Adjustment
    • Location Toggle Switch
    • Device Monitor App Button (new app to 10.2.1.xxxx)
    • Tethering Toggle Switch
    • Hotspot Toggle Switch
    • NFC Toggle Switch
    • Flight mode Toggle Switch (airplane mode)

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10.3

Late 2014

New UI

  • 'Signature Action': The action bar at the bottom of the screen has been updated for a simpler, cleaner experience. The most commonly used action is in the center of the bar and highlighted with blue color to give it focus. The secondary actions flank the primary or 'signature action' for functionality. The main action is static for each app/screen. For all you developers out there keep an eye out for how to take advantage of this feature in your app!
  • Updated Icons: While the SDK doesn't include all the updated icons for the new 10.3 look, all apps will receive a fresh new treatment. We listened to your feedback to remove the box around the icons in BlackBerry 10. I'm happy to let you know we are doing this to give icons a clean, new look.

Home Screen

  • Endless Folders: That's right, now you can jam more apps into a single folder, as you can have pages and pages of applications. For those of you who have multiple folders that you want to combine into one . . . we've thought of that! Just drag and drop a folder onto another and it will merge the apps into a single folder. Sorry, no folders within folders for this release.
  • Empty Home Screen: One of the changes made to the home screen is making the "running apps grid" always there even if you close your last application. Less confusion, more predictability for end users. Also, it's a great way to show off your wallpaper! A new two-finger-swipe gesture has been added to BlackBerry OS 10.3
  • Fast Quick Settings Access: Changing system settings from anywhere is only a two-finger-swipe away. From within any application a two-finger-swipe from the top will pull down the systems quick settings menu. Why two fingers rather than one? Well, simple, one-finger-swipe is already in use. To make that work would require all third-party applications being re-written. Don't worry, you can still use one-finger-swipe from the home screen itself.
  • Blog Bonus — More Apps on Screen: You noticed that the screenshots provided had some more icons than you are used to. The BlackBerry Z3, Z10 & Z30 now get an extra row of apps. For my QWERTY friends rocking out on a Q5 or Q10, you get an extra column of apps.

BlackBerry Hub

  • Download All Attachments: We've added a button to the email screen that allows you to quickly download all email attachments. This is handy when you're heading offline onto, say, an airplane and want to have all your attachments on your device.
  • Delete Original Text: When replying to an email, you can now delete all of the original text.
  • Remote IMAP Search: Even if e-mail items are no longer on your BlackBerry they are still always available for you to find and view! Just customize your account sync window.
  • File Sent Messages: Allows you to file sent messages into specific folders defined in the mail box.
  • BlackBerry Hub "Reset": The BlackBerry Hub will now close / auto-save open content and default to the list after 30 minutes of inactivity.

Calendar & Remember

  • Weekly Agenda: We've had many comments about wanting an "endless" agenda view. We've taken a step in that direction today and have added a weekly agenda view. The weeks are outlined at the top and you have a total agenda view for that week below. As this is still in beta you'll notice the color is slightly different, so don't mind that for now.
  • Tasks in Calendar: Pretty simple addition that lets you create a task from within the calendar app itself, and of course see those tasks listed in the calendar. Tasks created in Remember will show in the calendar. Calendar-created tasks are also listed in Remember.
  • Notifications Meeting Mode: Ever been in a meeting and had your phone go off when it shouldn't have? Well here's a neat feature that should allow you to save face. The notification profile will be tweaked automatically based on your calendar. This, of course, is an opt-in feature, so don't worry that you'll start missing desired notifications.
  • Remember Updates: Are you a Tasks person or a Notes person? Well, we've made Remember easier to use for those who really like to organize. The tasks and notes are separated by a tab and as a user you'll have the ability to set what your default view is.

Miscellaneous

  • Camera: An updated UI makes it simpler to take a picture, switch between cameras and toggle certain features.
  • Filer Picker Album View: When sending a picture from the file manager in BlackBerry 10.3, there's now an album view, just like within the Pictures app.
  • Settings List Re-arrange: In BlackBerry 10.3 you'll be able to re-arrange the order of the Settings menu, allowing you to move your most frequently-used items to the top.

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