I am sick of my Q10 - no update to 10.2, no apps, no point in paying for data

[dcunit3d]

I have a pay-as-you-go plan for my Q10, which includes 6GB and a hotspot.  All said and done, I pay $140 per month.  I can easily terminate my plan and get a discount on an iPhone at another provider.  I do not want to pay $700 for an iPhone.

I originally bought my Blackberry Q10 in August 2013.  I really like the interface, certain unique features and especially the physical keyboard.  When I bought the phone in August, i received an OS update very quickly, in August 2013!  Unfortunately, that was the last update I would ever receive.

My problem with the Q10 is the lack of apps.  I FINALLY got Instagram (I downloaded iGrann).  And yes - I know that you can get Android apps running on the Q10.  But every time that I try, I spend a ton of time searching for advice and the files I need. 

And then - I FIND THAT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL I NEED OS 10.2!  Why doesn't the Vine app(Whine) show up in the store?  Requires 10.2!  Want to easily sideload Android APK's with the Snap app?  10.2!  Want to get Snapchat on your phone?  10.2!  Want to get an app that requires Google Maps?  F*** that, it's not worth the time.

After searching for a long time today, I found that Verizon has released updates for the Z10.  Those users are on 10.2.  Why not me?  I guess there aren't enough Q10 users.  If I had been able to find a leaked version of 10.2, I would have tried that.  But I'm starting to think that I may never receive an update for this phone.  I have been waiting on this for about 6 months now, thinking that any week I'd get an update to 10.2.

I like Blackberry and I'm a developer.  I understand the massive challanged associated with developing your own OS and trying to get others to adopt it.  I want Blackberry to succeed and if they do, I might try them again in a few years. 

I also like Verizon a lot.  Good customer service, good network speeds & availability.  But I have a hard time understanding why I should stick with this crappy phone for another 18 months. 

This really sucks.  I'm paying a lot of money and I don't feel like I'm getting the experience I deserve on this phone. 

[Donwaan]

Hey I just installed the new 10.2 and it works great.  Now I can use the Andoid apps on Amazon - just got apps for two banks I use and they work great for picture deposits of checks.  So far can't get Google to let me access apps to download -- still working on that.  If anyone knows how please respond.  Blackberry is doing much better -- keep trying harder and you will make all of us loyal BB customer happy!

[dcunit3d]

Thank you so much for releasing this update Verizon! That was really fast. This must have been in the works for a few months. 

I am much happier with my phone now. I really like some of the UI changes that BB implemented, like the in-app Text notifications.

The upgrade process took a little longer than it should.  I think this is because my device is encrypted.  It literally took 8 or 9 hours.  I would recommend backing up before upgrading. 

Once it was installed, I was able to download the Snap client for Android Apps.  Snap makes it very, very easy to download new apps quickly.

These apps work really well:

- Snapchat: there's a few notifications saying it requires Play Services, but seems to work well.  havent used all the features.

- Duolingo: great for learning Spanish, German, etc.  works really well on BB

- Tinder: seems to work

These android apps have a few problems with BB

- Vine: there's no way to complete the signup forms on BB.  this may work if you already have a login.

- Spotify: runs slowly on Q10, difficult to log in to this app (i needed to get creative).  works alright with downloaded playlists.

Apps i wish i had:

- Secret (iOS only)

- Firechat (iOS only, probably iOS exclusive for a few years)

[dcunit3d]

Try downloading Snap.  The app needs to be downloaded from the internet and sideloaded onto to the device. 

Here's an article on Crackberry that steps you through setting up Snap.