One of the questions I get asked frequently is: “How can I wirelessly synchronize my Gmail Calendar and Contacts with my BlackBerry® smartphone?” With a BlackBerry smartphone data plan and BlackBerry® Device Software 5.0 or higher, this simple to do!
The first thing you want to do is make sure you have the right software on your BlackBerry smartphone. To do this, navigate to Options and click About. On the third line down, there will be a number like 5.0 Bundle 1602. This tells you are running BlackBerry Device Software 5.0. If you are using 4.7.1 or lower, you should check to see if there is an upgrade available for your device. Please see my previous post herefor instructions on how to perform the upgrade wirelessly.
The next step is to confirm you have a data plan. If you are already receiving your Gmail messages to theMessages application, then you are all set! If not, go to Setup and then Email Settings to see if you can setup your Gmail account. If you can’t, then you should talk to your wireless provider to ask about adding a data plan to your BlackBerry smartphone.
Now that you’ve confirmed you have a data plan and that you’re running BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 or higher, the next step is to setup the synchronization. This is the easy part! Go to the Setup folder and clickEmail Settings.
If you do not have your Gmail account set up, then you can add it by pressing the Set up another email account button. If you already have it set up, then highlight it, press the Menu button and select Edit.
Scroll down and expand Synchronization Options. With Synchronization Settings open, you will see checkboxes for Calendar and Contacts. Select one or both of them and press the Save button. You will then be prompted to confirm your password, and the activation process will start. Contacts will synchronize about every four hours, and Calendar appointments will synchronize about every thirty minutes.
