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Does verizon lock GPS on blackberries - switching from AT&T

Hi,

I am thinking of swtiching from AT&T to VZ. I use a couple of 3rd party software that use on-device GPS.

Of all the research I have done so far, I am getting contradictory answers. This is what I have found. I would really really appreciate if someone could clarify this for me.

Verizon locks GPS on all blackberry devices.
Verizon locks GPS on all devices except a few models.(The list of these models/devices is different on different websites.)
Verizon does not lock GPS on all devices running blackberry OS version (>= 4.5)

Can someone knowledgeable please clarify this?

I even tried calling customer support. They kept on transferring me and did not answer my question.

Okay, thanks a lot for reading this.

--BB

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StreetDocRN

BB1 wrote:
Hi,

I am thinking of swtiching from AT&T to VZ. I use a couple of 3rd party software that use on-device GPS.
Of all the research I have done so far, I am getting contradictory answers. This is what I have found. I would really really appreciate if someone could clarify this for me.

Verizon locks GPS on all blackberry devices.
Verizon locks GPS on all devices except a few models.(The list of these models/devices is different on different websites.)
Verizon does not lock GPS on all devices running blackberry OS version (>= 4.5)

Can someone knowledgeable please clarify this?
I even tried calling customer support. They kept on transferring me and did not answer my question.

Okay, thanks a lot for reading this.

--BB

Hi,

Welcome to the Verizon Blackberry forum. You ask a very good question. Many people are confused about the GPS features on the Blackberry. I hope to shed a little light on the subject for you.

It is true that Verizon locks the GPS on 3rd party apps for devices such as the Pearl and Curve. However, the GPS works on 3rd party apps on higher end devices such as the Storm and Tour. I do not think it is an OS software thing, because I know of a couple of people with 8330 Curves who upgraded to a beta OS 5.0 and GPS was still locked for them on 3rd party apps. Customer support will probably not answer questions regarding 3rd party apps because they are not supposed to give support for 3rd party apps not approved by Verizon. I have installed a couple of 3rd party GPS apps on my Tour and they work with no problems. If you are thinking about getting a Blackberry and plan to use the GPS on 3rd party apps, then you may think about the Tour or Storm. It is my understanding that all future Blackberry devices sold by Verizon will have unlocked GPS, in addition to WiFi support. That statement is based on rumors in other forums on the internet and not an official statement by Verizon on what they actually plan.

I hope this answers some of your questions. Again, welcome to the forums.

Doc

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