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Home»BlackBerry Help»Help, How-To & Tips, BlackBerry 101

Using Auto On / Off

by Kevin Michaluk on 4 Mar 2008 03:45 PM
23
 

CrackBerry.com's BlackBerry 101 Lecture Series

Get a Better Night's Sleep and Help Gain Back The Weekends!

A lot of BlackBerry User's found value in the last BlackBerry 101 lecture, where we went through the steps of How To Take Notes While on a Call. It's a simple thing to do, but unless you explore your BlackBerry's menu options you may never discover it as it's not necessarily a function that is readily intuitive to all.

Likewise goes for the Auto On/Off settings located in your BlackBerry Options. It's not that Auto On/Off is hidden on the operating system - it is very easy to find; rather, it just seems to be one of those settings the eyes tend to passover and avoid. At least that was the case for me for literally 2 years. Keep Reading to learn more about Auto On/Off. 

Turn Me On and Off
Auto On/Off allows you to set a time for both weekdays and weekends for when you want your device to turn off and then automatically turn on. It's a simple feature, but for us hardcore CrackBerry Addicts, if used properly, it's one more step on the road to controlling our BlackBerry addictions (err..not that I think I have a problem).

I tend to reply to emails I receive anytime and any place, and this often means 3:30am when I turn over in bed and wake up to see the little red light blinking. I also tend to leave my profile set to normal when I go to sleep - I have been woken up by my BlackBerry Messenger notification tone more times that I can count by friends overseas who forget what timezone I'm in (it's ok though as I do the same to them). I thought about and have tried leaving my BlackBerry out of the bedroom, but I have trouble falling asleep if it's out of arm's reach. I just feel like something is missing. It wasn't until I finally discovered Auto On/Off for myself that I got back to having the uninterrupted sleep I had before discovering BlackBerry.

The secret? I set my BlackBerry to Automatically turn off about 30 minutes later than my "bedtime". This way I have my comfort blanket berry close at hand and ready for action, but as I slip into my Zzzzz's the device turns off. No Blinking Lights, No Calls or Instant Messages coming through. Come morning my BlackBerry automatically powers back up and I'm well rested and none-the-wiser to having been separated from my device.

For those whose BlackBerry use is pure business (and you're starting to get annoyed by it everytime it blinks as it means you have work to do), try setting BlackBerry hours for yourself. Have it turn off a little earlier on weekdays, and turn on a little later on weekends. Not everyone will have the luxury of doing this (depends on your job situation), but if there are days when you can muster it, give it a try.

Auto On / Off - Step by Step 

Step 1: Head to Options
Step 1: Head to Options

Step 2: Open Auto On/Off
Step 2: Open Auto On/Off

Step 3: Enable Auto On/Off
Step 3: By default, Auto On/Off will be Disabled
We'll want to enable it and set the time

Step 4: Set your times
Step 4: Enable Auto On/Off and Set Your Times

Step 5: Save Changes
Step 5: Save Changes

That's It! Now Come Bedtime.... 

Auto Off
The BlackBerry Automatically Shutdowns
at the time previously entered

And turns back on
And fires back up automatically right on queue!


Until Next Time
I hope you found this lecture useful. Auto On/Off. It's simple, and it works! See you again soon!

 

Filed Under: Help, How-To & Tips, BlackBerry 101; Tags: BlackBerry 101
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23 Comments

Posted by BlastOff Tuesday, Mar 04, 2008 1439 days ago

I use my Curve as my daily alarm clock. Right now, I have to remember to change my profile to "Phone Only" before beddy-bye. I assume the alarm clock will wake it up too? What about incoming calls?

Does anybody know of a program that will switch profiles based on the time of day? That would be the hot ticket.

 
 
Posted by Tully Tuesday, Mar 04, 2008 1439 days ago

hey BlastOff there is such a program that will switch profiles for you. it has a lots of features, it is called "BlackBerry Profile Scheduler" and they sell it hear on this lovely site. make sure you check out the demo before you drop $16.

http://software.crackberry.com/product.asp?id=14422

 
 
Posted by Iain Barclay Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008 1439 days ago

The latest version of Ringo has a "Do Not Disturb" feature which will silence calls and alerts overnight and at weekends (if you like!) and still allow your alarm clock to ring through...

Its in the CrackBerry store, and a free trial is available - http://software.crackberry.com/product.asp?id=16489

Cheers,
Iain
--
Team Ringo :)

 
 
Posted by Tom D. Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 1139 days ago

I activated the Auto On/Off feature about a month ago on my BB Sprint 8830, but can not disable it. Both weekend and weekday fields are set to "Disable" (and saved), but it continues to power on at the specified time. I even set the on and off times to the same value, but to no avail. (Shades of Colossus!) any suggestions will be appreciated.

 
 
Posted by Ron R. Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009 1025 days ago

Did you find a fix for the Auto On/Off feature problem staying set even though it shows disabled? I have one doing the same thing and I even did a wipe and it still stuck that way?

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008 1439 days ago

I just turn it off and it turns back on with my alarm. So much better then my Treo. I had to download a separate application to do that.

It's a great feature.

 
 
Posted by naviwilliams Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008 1438 days ago

I liked this feature. But, don't use it anymore. I don't use it because when I recevie emails after it comes on, they are all labelled with the time that they JUST came in. Rather than the actual time they were sent.

A shame really...

 
 
Posted by JonV Thursday, Mar 06, 2008 1437 days ago

I cancelled my land line many, many years ago and have used my bb as my main line. So, I can't turn it off completely in case a family member calls in an emergency or something. I put it to vibrate mode when I go to bed because I get too many facebook alerts during the night! But maybe I should just turn it on to Phone Only at night. I go to bed at different times, so I can't set it at a certain 'bedtime'. I think Phone Only will work better than Vibrate and stop any emails and alerts. My alarm still goes off in the morning even on Vibrate. I love finally having an alarm that only goes off on weekdays and not weekends. Why don't more manufacturers build alarm clocks with this setting?

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Thursday, Mar 06, 2008 1437 days ago

I'm already using it. However, I just ordered the Seidio 2600mAh Extended Battery (you know ...the one for BlackBerry 8300 Series - with 140% more power than that the standard battery). As for my addiction, I'm already over the cliff...and hanging on by a several fingers. I must say, it's a very cool view:)

 
 
Posted by Caspan Saturday, Mar 08, 2008 1435 days ago

I am an IT professional and the purpose of the Blackberry is to keep in check with the 80+ servers I need to manage and monitor. I really forget sometimes how many people use BB for personal use and has driven the device to a whole new location. So even though your article is great as an IT professional this is not an option for me.

What I have done is used a program called Message Alerts 2.1 that gives me the ability to set rules like "If message Subject starts with 'abc123' then go off" this way I can silence my BB at night and only hear the message that I need to get. Spam is one of the biggest reasons I required this as I was being woken up by spam messages that were coming in at 3 am in the morning.

I think with any addiction there is software to help us all. I love my Curve but I love my family more but it also allows me to balance both. I am able to get emails when on call and look for what is important in less than 3 seconds. This saves me from spending 30 minutes at the end of the night away from my family checking them and sorting what is.important.

 
 
Posted by smartme Monday, Mar 17, 2008 1427 days ago

On options on my Blackberry 8703e I don't find no Auto on/off so this site was not helpful to me.

Sally

 
 
Posted by devilish19 Monday, Jul 28, 2008 1293 days ago

hey whats the theme you're using that tells you the percentage of your battery life like that? In fact, does anybody else know where I can find a good "battery status" theme/program?

 
 
Posted by len_sole Monday, Dec 22, 2008 1146 days ago

The phone only is a good profile to use.

I was wondering though. Can the auto off work while on a call? I tried it once but it didn't work. I tend to talk to my girlfriend at night on the phone. On my old phone I would just leave it on all night (we have Rogers to Rogers). But I find the BB heats up pretty badly if in a call for so long. Does anyone know if the auto off feature overrides the call? or if I can somehow get my bb to do that?
Thanks

 
 
Posted by dolphina70 Saturday, Jan 10, 2009 1127 days ago

I thought that when i have it on Phone only I don't receive emails? This isn't the case though - I am trying to set my BB so I don't receive emails when i am at the office but when I am away I do. Any suggestions?

 
 
Posted by gdberry Sunday, Feb 08, 2009 1098 days ago

Hi, this is a great tip but I use my crackberry as an alarm clock during the week. Will it still work if I set it to power up about 30 minutes before the alarm? Thanks!

 
 
Posted by barbied25 Sunday, Mar 29, 2009 1049 days ago

I would like to sut off the email alerts at night but not my phone calls in case of a emergancy.
How do I change it to phone only?
my bb us 8330 curve
thanks!

 
 
Posted by barbied25 Sunday, Mar 29, 2009 1049 days ago

I would like to shut off the email alerts at night but not my phone calls in case of a emergancy.
How do I change it to phone only?
my bb us 8330 curve
thanks!

 
 
Posted by Borsky Monday, Apr 06, 2009 1041 days ago

I actually have a question as opposed to a comment. Does the Auto On/Off feature work when the Storm is in a holster where the magnet puts the unit to "sleep"? My question comes from the fact that for the last two mornings, my blackberry battery was completely drained after it was in its holster. I didn't turn it off myself thinking that it would turn off automatically in the holster.

Thanks for any insights.

 
 
Posted by Borsky Monday, Apr 06, 2009 1041 days ago

I actually have a question as opposed to a comment. Does the Auto On/Off feature work when the Storm is in a holster where the magnet puts the unit to "sleep"? My question comes from the fact that for the last two mornings, my blackberry battery was completely drained after it was in its holster. I didn't turn it off myself thinking that it would turn off automatically in the holster.

Thanks for any insights.

 
 
Posted by bigtool4u1666 Tuesday, Sep 29, 2009 865 days ago

I am also interested in trying to turn my 8330 curve to phone only at nite. can anybody help me on this please.

thanks

Jeff

 
 
Posted by Nell4620 Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 854 days ago

I'm so new to BB I must be missing something here, but what about Bedside Mode? I use my BB as my alarm and set Bedside Mode to only put through phone calls...no more other alerts during the night.

 
 
Posted by Busy...OnTheBlackBerry Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 825 days ago

I love this feature. It affords me the ability to have the BB act as an alarm clock (with different "wake-up" times for the week and weekend). More important, it gives both my husband and I a full night's sleep without the continual beeping. I also like having the ability to override this functionality if I want to use the BB after it's "go to sleep" time. All I have to do then, is turn it off and it'll wake me up at the pre-set time.

 
 
Posted by annasam Monday, Feb 01, 2010 740 days ago

thanks Nell4620, as i was reading the comments and questions i was wondering why no one use bedside mode, it works great for me