BlackBerry may no longer be making their own hardware, but they still handle software for their Android-powered smartphones, and today they just started issuing updates for a round of their various applications as well as the BlackBerry launcher that can be found on devices like the Priv and DTEK50. As part of the slew of updates, BlackBerry has seen fit to improve the BlackBerry launcher, and that improvement finds its way onto the devices of users as a new applicable Dark Theme, which swaps out the traditional white background of the “all apps” screen for one that’s black instead. It’s a simple but thoughtful tweak that will surely delight some users who have been yearning for even just a little but more customization.
Of course, it isn’t all about customization, as the updates include actual functional improvements to some of BlackBerry’s apps, like BlackBerry Hub+. With the most recent update to this particular app, BlackBerry states that they have made some improvements to the accounts segment. Specifically they have made it a simpler process to hide certain accounts in Hub+ if you prefer that some accounts don’t show, which definitely improves things on the privacy side a little bit. In addition to hiding the accounts from view, the accounts also will no longer sync, so users won’t be getting an influx of emails, messages and alerts related to those hidden accounts.
BlackBerry’s update to Hub+ also seems to put some emphasis on emails, as you can create customized views for emails and set a default account to Hub+ for sending emails, both of which will definitely improve the user experience for those who have multiple email accounts tied to their BlackBerry device. As for the new changes that are coming to the BlackBerry Keyboard, the update includes a faster visual response when swapping between languages, as well as fingerprint support for the password autofill feature and new Chinese input methods such as Zhuyin. There are also a few new enhancements to password keeper, like a new password font and non-latin character support if those are things that you’ve been hoping for. The updates to these apps can happen automatically, as noted by BlackBerry, and just like any other Android app if the auto update setting is enabled, but you can easily update them manually by going into the Play Store and tapping on the update button next to the apps that have it listed.