- Supported Devices and Regions
- a. Which BlackBerry® smartphones are supported by BlackBerry App World™ storefront?
BlackBerry App World is available for BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry® Device Software v4.5 or higher, with a trackball, trackpad or touch screen, including:- BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphones
- BlackBerry® Curve™ 3G smartphones
- BlackBerry® Curve™ 8300 Series
- BlackBerry® Curve™ 8500 Series
- BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 smartphone
- BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G smartphone
- BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8100 Series
- BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip Series
- BlackBerry® Storm™ smartphones
- BlackBerry® Style™ 9670 smartphone
- BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone
- BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 smartphone
- BlackBerry® 8800 Series
View a list of countries where BlackBerry App World is available
- Which OS versions does BlackBerry App World support?
BlackBerry App World works with BlackBerry smartphones running OS version 4.5.0 or higher.
- What type of applications can I sell on BlackBerry App World?
At this time, any applications that can be packaged as a COD file (using the BlackBerry® Java® Development Environment (BlackBerry JDE), BlackBerry® JDE Plug-in for Eclipse®, BlackBerry JDE component package, BlackBerry® Theme Studio, BlackBerry® Web Plug-in for Eclipse®, BlackBerry® Web Plug-in for Microsoft® Visual Studio® or BlackBerry® Widget SDK). - Can I distribute web applications?
Yes, it’s possible to promote and distribute web-based content services for BlackBerry smartphones, provided you offer a web icon application to be distributed on BlackBerry App World.
A web icon application is a small Java® application packaged as a COD file that, once downloaded, provides a dedicated icon on the BlackBerry smartphone that will take the user to a mobile website. - Can I distribute my web signals application?
Yes, it’s possible to promote and distribute web signals-based content services, provided you offer a web signal registration application to be distributed through BlackBerry App World.
A web signal registration application is a small Java application packaged as a cod file that, once downloaded, presents the user with the option to launch the web browser to your web signal registration page. Upon signing up to your web signal service, the web signal registration application can be removed by the end user. - Can I distribute themes?
Yes, themes can be distributed on BlackBerry App World. - Can I distribute BlackBerry WebWorks applications?
Yes, BlackBerry WebWorks applications can be distributed on BlackBerry App World. - My application requires a license key. How can I get a license key to the end user?
BlackBerry App World asks you to indicate an application requires a license key. The license key models supported include Static, Single, Pool or Dynamic.
In the Static model, a license key isn’t required to run the application. With the Single model, a single key is used to unlock the application.
With the Pool model, you must send a pool of serial numbers that are handed out one at a time to each end user.
With the Dynamic model, the BlackBerry App World server will perform an HTTP connection to your company’s website when it’s time to generate a license key. Your website can generate a dynamic license key based on your pre-determined algorithm; for example, based on the user’s email address.
In all cases, the license key is provided to the user via the BlackBerry App World client - An end user needs to download additional free desktop software or register with our free service before they can use an application. How do I inform them of additional requirements to use an application? Please specify the requirements in the description of the application posted during the application submission. You can also provide more information within your application through the help section.
- Can I distribute applications that use cryptographic APIs?
You can distribute applications that use cryptographic APIs provided they adhere to the requirements and restrictions detailed in the BlackBerry App World Vendor Agreement.
You may also be required to provide a Commodity Classification Automated Tracking System (CCATS) reference for Research In Motion (RIM) to obtain additional data on the application and ensure compliance with export control regulations. - My company has applications with surrounding agreements that don’t allow me to sell to certain carrier’s customers. Can I decide which carrier networks my application is available for?
During the application submission process, you can select which carrier networks you’d like to make an application available for. Only end users for the selected carrier(s) will be able to download the application. - Do I need to be a member of the BlackBerry Alliance Program to submit applications on BlackBerry App World?
You don’t need to be a BlackBerry Alliance Program member to distribute applications on BlackBerry App World. - How should I notify users of data charges associated with my application?
In general, the application only needs to warn the user once—however, if the data charge is linked to a specific action (e.g. downloading a video), it would be preferable to warn the user before each action. The application can provide a warning with an option that says "do not warn me again". Please communicate any data charges within your application description as well. - Can end users review or comment on the application?
End users can submit review comments and rate applications with a star rating. The application rating system will include the following elements:- Users who have downloaded an application can rate the application from 0 to 5 stars.
- Users who haven’t downloaded an application aren’t permitted to rate that application.
- Users can only rate an application once.
- An application’s overall rating is based on the average rating submitted by users.
Review comments are automatically scanned for inappropriate language when they’re submitted and are subject to removal. - Can I see the reviews and comments on my application? How can I flag a review if it’s inappropriate?
Vendors can view and flag rejected and accepted reviews through the Vendor Portal. - Does my application require an EULA?
It’s recommended you include an EULA within your application. If an EULA is included, it must contain certain information as stipulated in the RIM Vendor Agreement and, if applicable, the Digital River Vendor Agreement.
- How are applications categorized?
Categories can be selected during the application submission process. Vendors can select one category that applies to an application. All category selections will be reviewed and are subject to change. - What do I need to submit an application?
You’ll need to provide the following information when submitting an application:- Application name
- Category
- Application language
- Description language
- Description
- Icon (480x480 png image)
- Screenshots
- License type
- Price
- COD files
- Filebundle language
- COD file language
- Devices supported
- OS version supported
- Selected carriers
- Restricted carriers
- Additional notes
- Application version
- What are the requirements for the icon and screenshots?
The file submitted for the icon is automatically sized for use in various parts of the BlackBerry App World solution. It’s recommended you provide a 480x480, 300dpi, RGB file in PNG format so the icon retains the best possible image quality when the file is converted.
Screenshots should be of the application screens only and shouldn’t include a BlackBerry smartphone. - Can I add a hyperlink in the description of the application?
You can add a link to the description to enable users to find more information about your application. Please note the description is in plain text and a user won’t be able to click on the link.
- What billing models are supported on BlackBerry App World?
BlackBerry App World supports one-time billing at the time of download, free applications and the sale of digital goods within applications.
Applications that require a different billing model, such as monthly subscription charges, feature unlocking and pay-per-use may leverage the Payment Service. - How can I price my application?
For paid applications, BlackBerry App World will allow you to select a suggested retail price in US dollars for your application. The US dollar price is associated with a pricing tier. The pricing tier shows the application price for the currencies available, with the applicable exchange rate, in AUD, BRL, CAD, CHF, CLP, EUR, GBP, HKD, INR, JPY, KRW, MXN, MYR, NZD, PLN, SGD, THB, TRY, TWD, USD and ZAR. Pricing in GBP, EUR, CHF and PLN is inclusive of VAT.- Tiers increment by $1 USD from $0.99 to $19.99
- Tiers increment by $10 USD tiers from $19.99 to $99.99
- Tiers increment by $50 USD tiers from $99.99 to $599.99
- Tiers increment by $100 USD tiers from $599.99 to $999.99
Please note pricing tiers are subject to change. - Can we send end users a message to renew or re-purchase an application?
Users will be notified when updates to applications they’ve already downloaded or purchased are made available on BlackBerry App World. - Can I select more than one category for my application?
You can select only one category for your application. Category selection will be evaluated for suitability and an alternate category may be suggested for your application. - Who’s Digital River and what do they do?
RIM has partnered with Digital River to act as a merchant and seller of record to provide vendors and end users with transaction processing, disbursement and reporting services.
Digital River will accept PayPal® and credit card payments from end users and disburse the revenue to both RIM and the vendor.
Digital River will also provide reports on the transactions, which are accessible to vendors through the Digital River financial reporting system. - Who’s Bango and what do they do?
RIM has partnered with Bango to act as a merchant and seller of record to provide vendors and end users with transaction processing, disbursement and reporting services.
Bango will facilitate carrier-billed payments from end users and disburse the revenue to both RIM and the vendor. - How’s the tax on purchased applications processed?
Tax is calculated by Digital River and/or Bango and shown on an end user’s purchase confirmation or may be included in the purchase price. - When will revenue disbursements be made?
Carrier-billed payments are issued monthly where the vendor earnings exceed GBP £50/US $50/CAN $50/Euro €50. Earnings less than GBP £50/US $50/CAN $50/Euro €50 will be carried forward to the following month’s payment run.
PayPal and credit card payments are issued monthly where the vendor earnings exceed GBP £100/US $100/CAN $100/Euro €100. Earnings less than GBP £100/US $100/CAN $100/Euro €100 will be carried forward to the following month’s payment run. - Will application prices always be in USD or shown in local currency?
Prices in the catalog will appear in the local or default currency, based on your home carrier. - Will tax apply to the local country or always be shown in USD?
Applicable taxes will be applied to the purchase price as determined by Digital River. - Can I distribute free applications that generate post-download revenue?
- Free applications that generate revenue after download may be distributed on BlackBerry App World. The BlackBerry App World Vendor Agreement outlines the applicable terms and conditions.
- How do I report any secondary revenue generated through my application?
For reporting information, contact blackberryappworldrevenue@rim.com
- What type of PayPal account should be used?
Vendors can choose any type of account, including Personal, Premier or Business. The PayPal accounts don’t need to be verified.
Vendors will be paid in USD and all exchange fees will be incurred by the vendor. A USD or multicurrency account is suggested to manage against any foreign exchange or other cross border fees that may otherwise be applied. - Can I receive payment into different vendor accounts based on geography?
You can create multiple vendor accounts based on the different regions in which you operate. You can associate each vendor account with a different PayPal account and currency for disbursement.
Payments to you will be made in USD. A USD or multicurrency account is suggested to manage against any foreign exchange or other cross border fees that may otherwise be applied. - Is PayPal the only purchase mechanism for end users?
No, end users can use credit cards and carrier billing in addition to their PayPal account to purchase applications from BlackBerry App World. - Does a user require a PayPal account to download free applications?
End users don’t require PayPal accounts to download free applications.
- What languages does BlackBerry App World support?
The BlackBerry App World client supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. Additional languages will be added in future releases. - Can I sell non-English applications on BlackBerry App World?
Yes, you can sell non-English applications on BlackBerry App World. Once you specify the languages supported by your application, you’ll be required to provide application descriptions and application releases (file bundles and/or COD files) that support those languages. To provide a consistent experience to end users, all content on BlackBerry App World is required to be in English.
- How do I provide support to end users? Can they call my organization directly?
A support email address must be included during your application submission process. You can also indicate a website users can visit for support. End users will be provided with your support email contact to receive support for application-related issues.
RIM also recommends vendors provide support information within the help section of their application. - Can end users request a refund after they purchase an application?
View the Digital River refund policy applicable for BlackBerry App World for sales to US customers or view the Digital River refund policy applicable for BlackBerry App World for sales to international customers - Is there a BlackBerry forum for end users and vendors?
BlackBerry App World boards for vendors and end users are active on the BlackBerry forums. View the BlackBerry App World forums
- Is it possible to add captions to the screenshots?
It’s not possible to add captions to the screenshots at this time. - Who can submit applications through the BlackBerry App World Vendor Portal?
Most developers from around the world can submit applications for BlackBerry App World. - What’s the CCATS that confirms the classification of applications developed in the US?
A CCATS is a formal document issued by the US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, that provides an ECCN in accordance with the US Export Administration Regulations. Find out how to request an ECCN (PDF) - What’s the application submission fee used for?
Note: a promotion is currently running that allows vendors to bypass the $200 submission fee.
There’s a $200 USD administration fee to complete registration and submit applications. If your account isn’t approved, the $200 USD administration fee will be refunded.
- The initial fee will allow 10 application submissions:
- Multiple versions of the same application won’t count as separate submissions (example: an application might have a version for the BlackBerry Storm smartphone and the BlackBerry Bold smartphone).
- An update to your application, resulting in a submission of new cod files, will be counted against your 10 application submissions.
- Resubmission of a rejected application will be counted against your 10 application submissions.
- Removal of an application won’t affect your remaining balance of application submissions.
- If you’ve used all 10 application submissions, an additional $200 USD administration fee will be applied on your next submission, adding another 10 possible application submissions to your account.
- The initial fee will allow 10 application submissions:
- How does RIM determine if an application is suitable for BlackBerry App World?
RIM will review a submitted application for content suitability and perform technical testing to ensure the application meets the BlackBerry App World Vendor Guidelines.
Vendors should test their applications for compatibility against the devices selected during the submission process to avoid test failures and application rejections. - Once an application has been submitted, can I make changes to my submission?
Once the application has been submitted, it can no longer be altered. Please ensure all pertinent information has been entered before submitting. - My application contains numerous cod files. How can I speed up the submission process?
The vendor portal will accept a zip file containing the cod files for an application bundle. If your application has a separate set of cod files for different types of devices, each set of cod files will need to be zipped separately. You can upload the zip files during the application submission process. - My company develops applications with multiple brands. Can I designate the brand an application belongs to?
You’ll need to register each brand as a separate vendor if you’d like to identify an application as belonging to one of those brands. - How often will RIM provide reports on my application?
You can generate a report daily, or as often as you’d like, by selecting the start and end date for which you’d like report data. The reports provide download and purchase information for all your applications. - What sort of data is provided in the application reports?
The report contains the following information for each transaction with an end user. The data is provided as csv files:- Application name
- Version
- Date
- Amount (if applicable)
- Currency (if applicable)
- License key (if applicable)
- Device model
- OS version
- Carrier
- Locale
- Country
- Once my application has been approved, does it automatically get into the BlackBerry App World catalog?
Once you’ve received confirmation an application has been accepted, you must publish the application for it to appear in the catalog. Please see the vendor guide for detailed instructions on how to publish your application. - What’s the information flow between RIM and my company?
RIM strives to provide open and clear communication to you throughout the vendor registration and application submission process. The information flows between RIM, Digital River and you are as follows:- When you sign up as a vendor in the Vendor Portal, you’re required to enter into the BlackBerry App World Vendor Agreement.
- If you specify you’re selling applications, you’re also provided terms and conditions from Digital River.
- RIM will assess your registration information and approve or reject the registration. You’ll be notified by email of the registration approval or rejection.
- Once approved, you can begin submitting applications to BlackBerry App World:
- If you haven’t entered into the Digital River Vendor Agreement, you can’t submit paid applications. If you wish to submit paid applications, you’ll be required to enter into the Digital River Vendor Agreement.
- RIM emails you immediately after an application submission has been made to confirm the submission.
- Your application information is provided to Digital River:
- Digital River establishes an account in their payment systems and sends you an email regarding the Digital River financial reporting systems. Please note this doesn’t indicate approval of your application.
- You’ll receive an email from RIM to indicate your application (for each application bundle) is approved or rejected after testing is complete.
- Once approved, you can post your application for sale in the vendor portal. The application will be visible on the client within 24 hours.
- What’s the My World folder in BlackBerry App World?
The My World folder is an online record of the applications an end user has purchased or downloaded for free through BlackBerry App World. Users can:- Uninstall and reinstall applications
- Archive and restore applications to internal memory or a microSD card
- Add a review for an application
- Recommend an application to their friends
When updates are available to applications that have been installed, the user will be notified and can view the update details. - How many applications can a user store?
An unlimited number of applications can be stored in BlackBerry App World. - Does My World allow the user to re-download paid-for applications?
Yes. There are no restrictions on how many times users can install or download their applications to the BlackBerry smartphone on which they were purchased.
If a user switches from one BlackBerry smartphone to a new BlackBerry smartphone, they can log in to BlackBerry App World on their new BlackBerry smartphone and download their paid applications from the My World folder. - If a user accidently deletes an application, do they have to purchase the application again?
No. If a user purchases and downloads an application, they’ll have the ability to download it without having to pay for it again. Users can access their applications from the My World folder in BlackBerry App World. - How many times can a user re-download paid applications from My World to a different device?
If a user needs to switch from a BlackBerry smartphone to a new BlackBerry smartphone, they can log in to My World on the new BlackBerry smartphone and re-download their paid applications. The customer can migrate between smartphones up to five times in a calendar year. - What happens if the paid application stored in My World is incompatible with a user’s new BlackBerry smartphone?
If a purchased application is incompatible with a new model, the user would be notified from within the My World folder. To continue using the application, the user would need to purchase a new version of the application, if available. - Can a user store applications on an external SD card?
Yes, with BlackBerry App World v1.1, users can archive their downloaded and purchased applications on a microSD card. - How do users archive applications on their BlackBerry smartphone?
In My World, users can access a menu option called Archive. When clicked, BlackBerry App World will uninstall the application from the device memory and store it on the microSD card.
The icon for the application will still appear (default on OS v4.5 and below is the home screen, on OS v4.6 it’s the Downloads directory). The icon will have a green arrow in the bottom corner indicating it’s been archived.
Users can click on the icon and will be prompted to restore the application. Users can also restore the application from inside BlackBerry App World. - Where do applications go when users install them?
Any application installed on the BlackBerry smartphone (from BlackBerry App World or anywhere else) is installed in flash memory. Each BlackBerry smartphone has a different amount of flash memory and this is what determines how many applications each device can have installed. With the archiving feature, applications can be stored on the microSD card and restored when a user wants to use them. - How are dynamic licenses handled during a device switch?
When a user re-connects to My World on a new smartphone, all the dynamic serial numbers are automatically regenerated and the new serial numbers are sent to the device.
- Does RIM provide any BlackBerry App World co-marketing collateral for BlackBerry App World vendors?
Yes. As a BlackBerry App World vendor, you may leverage the Get it at BlackBerry App World logo. - Where can I find the Get it at BlackBerry App World logo?
After logging into the Vendor Portal, the downloads link can be found at the bottom of the main login page. - How may I use the Get it at BlackBerry App World logo?
Please reference the BlackBerry App World Logo Guidelines (PDF) - Can I embed a hyperlink to the Get it at BlackBerry App World logo?
Yes. The hyperlink must direct users to your application page on BlackBerry App World. All URLs must be in the following format: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/XXXX (XXXX = your application ID).
You can find the URL for your application by browsing to your application page on the web store and copying the URL in the browser address bar.
- Can I nominate my application to be featured in the Featured Items section on BlackBerry App World?
Yes. To nominate your application, you must send an email to blackberryappworldmarketing@rim.com with the following information:- Vendor name
- Application name
- Target region for application content (ex. Global, North America, Canada etc.)
- Spotlight image (attached to email)
- Spotlight description (attached to email)
- What are the requirements for the Spotlight Image?
The Spotlight Image must meet the following specifications:- Dimensions: 340 x 340 pixels
- Bit Depth: 24-bit RGB
- File Format: PNG
- Edges not rounded off
- What are the requirements for the Spotlight Description?
The Spotlight Description must meet the following specifications:- Length: under 50 characters
- File Format: TXT
- Translations: you must provide an English Spotlight Description. In addition to English, you must provide a translation of the Spotlight Description for each of the languages supported by your nominated application
- What factors are taken into consideration when selecting feature applications?
The following items are considered when selecting feature applications:- Vendor account must be in good standing
- Application must be Up for Sale
- Positive user reviews and application rating (3+ star rating)
- Vendor participation on BlackBerry App World (number of applications in BlackBerry App World, forum participation etc.)
- End-user context (regional events, holidays etc.)
- BlackBerry App World co-marketing (use of the Get it at BlackBerry App World logo)
- When will I know if my application will be featured?
In the event your application is selected to be featured, you’ll be contacted (via email provided in nomination) 1-4 weeks prior to feature placement.
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