Logging Out of BlackBerry ID (Prior OS7)

BBID Logo

I'm a long time BlackBerry user and I've been using BlackBerry since their 9700 line. Unfortunately, I started using BlackBerry not because I'm intrigued with their secure system. I was drawn to BlackBerry because of BBM boom in my country. Sure, I like their unique design and their comfy keyboards (I've got to admit that they make the best keyboard in the mobile market) and that's why I'm wielding a Q10. But my experience with it hasn't always been as smooth as silk.

Aside from their laggy and buggy BBOS (sorry, Folks. I'm just telling my experience), one thing I hate the most is their BBID system aside from the hourglass problem. Even in BB10 they haven’t fixed this issue. The primary reason I hate it is because once you’ve signed in, you’ll never sign out unless you perform a security wipe. Sounds like trouble for just signing out from an ID, right? Heck, even Apple and Android let you switch their proprietary accounts.
However, there’s a good news for you BBOS owners, as there is a way to log out of your BlackBerry ID. As for BB10 owner such as myself, I’m sorry but we’re out of luck. If you’re interested in signing out of BBID, head past the break. However, I strongly advise you to back up all your data first, should something go wrong.

Head past the break to find out how.

The trick is actually pretty simple. In older OSes, it's safe to say that BB ID isn't as fully integrated into the system as BB10. What I mean is that BB ID is considered an application in BBOS. Thus, it's removable. Now I'm sure that you'll have questions if everything is going to be fine should I remove it, correct? The answer is yes, everything's going to be fine. But as I said, just in case, you should backup your phone before doing this. Once BB ID is removed, every time you open BlackBerry App World or other services which require BB ID (such as newer versions of BBM), it will prompt you to download the latest version of BB ID. Only then you'll need to re-enter your credentials again.

So, without further ado, here are the steps explained:

Head to Applications Manager and Find "BlackBerry Identity"

Like I said, BBID is installed as a separate package in OS6 thus, it is uninstall-able. Find the app in Applications Manager in Options and delete it.

BlackBerry Identity Application Properties

After deletion, you will be prompted to restart (typical BBOS procedure after app install / uninstall). Just let it restart and head to step 2.

Open an App that Requires BlackBerry ID (BlackBerry World, BBM, etc.)

Either BBM or BlackBerry World should be fine. Anyway, now that you have just deleted the BlackBerry Identity app, the opened app would prompt you to re-download it again. It says 'update' but it's actually 're-install'.

The Prompt

Click 'Update' and it will download the newest version of BBID available. Please note that you need to have at least Wi-Fi to go through this step. Otherwise, you won't be able to pass. The next step is a bit annoying, but heck, you have to get through it. Restart your phone to finish installation.

Restart and Restart

You're Done.

Yes, it's just that simple. If you open BBM again, you'll be prompted to re-input your BBID credentials again like the picture below. Make sure you log into the right account or you'll need to go through this process again.

You're All Done. Yay!

As a reminder, this trick doesn't work on OS7 and up. If you need to log out of your BBID, I'm afraid you'll have no choice but to wipe your phone and start over. BlackBerry might have their own reasons for doing this, but it'd be nice if they could offer an option to log out. Anyway, that's how you log out of BBID is OS6 and before. I hope you find this useful.

Finally, thanks for coming and if you have trouble, don't hesitate to ask. I no longer have OS6 device in my possession, but I'll try to answer your questions the best I can. Thanks again, I'm looking forward to your next visit, and have a nice day :D