How to get access to address book for outgoing calls while device is locked?

[userofbb]

Experts/Gurus

I am a user and fighting with our techies about making address book available while the BB is locked.

Our device allows to make outgoing calls while the BB7290 is locked but you have use either speed dial codes or dial the number which means in today's world memorize all the numbers.

I am sure that the creators have addressed this issue but our folks just refuse and say it cannot be done. They even had denied outgoing calls while locked, but when I challenged them with help of this forum they had no choice but to activate that capability.

You help will be highly appreciated.

[Jase88]

Think about this for a second: What is the purpose of security (i.e. passwords, "electronic locking") on any device? To protect your confidential data, correct?

Why circumvent this? I know it can be a pain to unlock...but practice makes perfect...and before long you won't even notice the extra step.

[Aroc]

Seriously make a business case to your company owner that you can be bothered with the few seconds it takes to unlock the company issued phone to look up an number to call and that any liability with company's confidential information being leaked is overshadowed by your own inconvenience.

If you are high ranking enough, this might go through. This is often the case at our company.

This is a personnel issue, not a technical one. I suggest you treat it as such.

RIM is anal about security. There may not very likely be a way to circumvent this. Try opening a case with your service provider, then escalate it to RIM. RIM will give you the straight scoop, even if it is "go pound sand." I suspect "go pound sand" will be the answer in this case. But sometimes vendors surprise me.

[userofbb]

Thank you wise human.

[BaronVonBB]

As I mentioned in the other version of this same post that was placed in the BES Admin forum, I don't know of any way this can be done. You seem to be assuming that your technicians are denying you something that they have the capability to provide but aren't.

Also, I'm not sure that asking BES techs to provide you with ammunition for you to use against the techs in your company, or to 'challenge them with help of this forum they had no choice but to activate that capability' makes much sense either.

[kelvin]

I must have missed something. On my 7520, I was able to get into the address book to call names while the phone was locked. I was even able to get to our Global Address Book. I was looking for help on how to do this on my new 7100I to no avail.

[userofbb]

Kelvin,

Thank you very much. What you experienced on the 7520 is what I am looking for on a 7290.

Once again techies trying to dictate to the business world what they should have or not. The first time they told that when device is locked you cannot make outgoing calls and I managed to prove them wrong just to make life easier for the regular business person.

[Inphektion]

well they aren't lying to you this time. It can't be done.
I have a BES and just verified looking at the policy, the option only says:
"Allow outgoing call when locked" - True or False
there are no other options for allowing anything else when the device is locked.
They lied to you before when they said you can't make outgoing calls when locked or they just missed this option the first time around but that is, in fact, the ONLY thing that can be allowed when locked.
If someone else is accessing other areas of their device when locked then they either don't know it isn't locked or maybe it works that way if you don't have a corporate BES.

[BaronVonBB]

I must have missed something. On my 7520, I was able to get into the address book to call names while the phone was locked. I was even able to get to our Global Address Book. I was looking for help on how to do this on my new 7100I to no avail.

I must have missed something as well, because I can't see any way to get into the address book on the 7520 when the device is locked. I've tried it on several devices with different versions of the handheld code and the only options I ever get are 'Unlock, Emergency Call, Cancel'

[kelvin]

I would like to think I am smart enough to know when my unit is locked. To further clarify, when the unit was locked, I could click in the escape button and select "Place Call". By rolling down to the recent calls list and beginning to typeletters asscoaiedd with names, I would get access to the address book. If you come up on a name not in the address book, you have the option by clickling the trackwheel to Lookup the name in the global address book. And yes, we are on the BES.

And, if you use the Search Button, you will see that over in the BES Admin section, I found a posting indicating that what I have described is what you get when you allow calls while unlocked.

[Inphektion]

that behavior seems to be a security flaw. Maybe they fixed it with the latest handheld versions.

The main purpose I see of allowing outgoing calls when locked is to allow someone to dial a quick number or speed dial without having to unlock. If someone finds my device that I lost I don't want them to be able to see my address book but I do want to be able to allow them to use my phone to call the number I have in the owner info area.

And I promise you there is no where in the BES that differentiates between allowing outgoing calls while denying access to address book and allowing outgoing calls while granting access to address book.

It must be the handheld software at this point.

[Zro]

There is a bug that exists in some versions of handheld code that will allow you to do as Kelvin has mentioned.

HOWEVER, it is a bug! It is NOT a feature that can be enabled/disabled.

Userofbb, you my friend are out of luck. Your BES admin cannot enable this for you.

Zro

[Aroc]

You're welcome.

I cannot access the address book from my 7510 when it is locked. I'm using the 4.0.2.54 handheld software. I don't recall this being available in prior versions of the 7510, 7520, 7290, and 7230 we have at work. But I can't be certain.

Here's the address for all of your BB rants (I use it quite often, sometimes even before I'm through cursing RIM name). Believe me there are plenty things I wish they would support (Lotus Notes/Domino encrypted mail being one of them).

bbsuggestions@<hidden>

[Zro]

I don't want to sound like i'm completely mean here, but did you not read what I wrote?

IT WAS A BUG!

This is not something that can be done generally, unless certain things are done in the proper order, etc.

You can email RIM all you like and I don't think you'll ever see this as a feature. That would totally defeat the purpose of having the handheld locked in the first place.

Zro

[kelvin]

I was able to see the bug in action. I was doing a tips session with several users who had different versions of handlheld software on the 7520. Since we have not updated our handheld software, my experience was limited to my handheld. I understand the security issues, but DANG IT, it was sure nice to be able to access the address book to make calls while the BB is locked. It would be nice if they even just lock it to the point where you could scoll the names and call them, without opening them up. Oh well.....wishful thinking.

[Aroc]

Zro, I'm not clear if you were referring me or the OP. If the former, I was referring to the OP and not you. Sorry for any possible mix up.

On a side note, do you know what OS revision level the "bug" occurred in? maybe that would help the OP. But I do agree with most here that being able to access the address book sort of defeats the purpose of locking the device. I know in my company's case, our contact lists on our salemens BBs are confidential information. I'd rather eat the cost of a BB than have those lists fall into the hands of a competitor. So for us the locking in a feature. At least if you want a PDA or a phone with company info on it.

[Zro]

Sorry Aroc, I thought you were saying that you wanted to get this to work. My most humble apologies.

As for what version, I have no idea what the actual code line was that had this...I'm a GSM user, not an iDEN user, so I can't even play around with old versions and find out.

Zro