BlackBerry KEYone hidden features

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To get the most out of the BlackBerry KEYone, you'll have to dig deep. There are hidden features that will bring your productivity to the next level, and we're going to help you find them. Some of these you might know, some of them you might not. Take a look and discover them for yourself.

Double-tap to lock the screen

Double-tapping a blank area of the home screen will immediately lock the device. This can be more practical if the BlackBerry KEYone spends more time on your desk or in a cradle than in your hand, when the On/off key on the left side might be more convenient. The double-tap can also wake the BlackBerry KEYone. Though this might not be great if you still have to use your fingerprint or PIN to unlock anyway, it can be handy if you've enabled Smart Lock, which skips authentication while within designated locations.

Double-press the On/off key to launch the camera

BlackBerry KEYone on/off key

It's possible to map the camera app to the physical keyboard or the right-side convenience key, but there's no reason to, since by default double-pressing the On/off key will get you there too. This works even from the lock screen! Be sure to remember this one when the moment to take the shot is fleeting. This feature can be disabled in Settings under Gestures.

Switch to Device Search

Switching to Device Search on the BlackBerry KEYone

By default, the keyboard lets you launch into apps and shortcuts when typing from the home screen. You may not have that many repeated actions to launch into, though. Or maybe remembering what all of those shortcuts are isn't worth it. For those that are doing something different every day, it may be better to set the keyboard to launch a Device Search instead. This will span content in your Contacts, e-mail, calendars, and help, not to mention offer the ability to extend search out to other apps.

  1. Press and hold on a blank area of the home screen.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Typing action.
  4. Tap Start a search.

Double-tap the Recent key to go to the last app

The Recent key (◻), just above the keyboard, lets you see all of your most recently-opened apps. Odds are in most cases you're just going back to the last one used though, and don't need to go rifling back through two, three, or four of the most recent apps. When you just need the last app used, double tap the Recent key and you'll jump right to it - no need to go rifling through the apps list.

Make the Productivity tab nearly invisible

BlackBerry KEYone Productivity tab settings

The Productivity tab on the right side may be a distraction when working in other apps, even though it's only a sliver along the side of the screen. Dig into the features a bit though, and you'll notice you have complete control over the opacity of the tab. It can be almost completely transparent and still be activated.

You'll still need to have a rough idea of where it is, but if you make it large enough, it shouldn't be a problem. Or, you could shrink it to even further minimize the visual footprint. You'll be able to enjoy all of the benefits of quick access to e-mail, calendar items, and more without any of the visual noise.

BlackBerry KEYone

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