CrackBerry's guide to using the Parental Control feature on your BlackBerry smartphone.
As more and more teens start using smartphones, it's only natural that more and more parents start to worry. With great entry-level devices like the BlackBerry Curve 9360, it's easier than ever for more users to get into the BlackBerry game. To help ease the pain of setting your child free with a smartphone, the latest round of BlackBerry OS leaks (7.1.0.402) includes a slew of parental control features. When enabled, the device can be limited for incoming calls, location services, text messages, browser use and various other options. These help ensure you know just what your kids are using their phone for and helps give you peace of mind. Keep reading and we'll take a look at just how easy it is to enable the parental control features on your BlackBerry.
How to use parental control on your BlackBerry
First off, be sure that you are running OS 7.1.0.402 or higher or you will not have the option for Parental Controls.
Go to Options > Security and select Parental Controls
Click Enable to activate the Parental Control features. A list will appear letting you choose what features you'd like to use. You can choose from Phone - Limit incoming calls to contacts, Text Messages, Bluetooth File Transfer, Location services, Browser, Application Installation, Email Account Setup, Facebook, Twitter, Camera and BlackBerry Messenger.
Choose which features you would like to enable, then press the Menu key and choose Save. You will then be asked to enter a 4-digit password (PIN) that will be used to access Parental Controls in the future. Keep in mind, the password can only be reset by wiping and restoring the OS on your device - so don't forget it.
That's all there is to it! Having these parental controls in places lets parents rest at ease knowing their children are limited in what they can do on their BlackBerry. You can tweak the settings as needed and based on your childs use case and again, these options are only currently available in OS 7.1.0.402 or higher.
For more help and discussion on this or other topics, head to the CrackBerry Forums.