Yesterday ShvartzBerry asked me if something had changed with BlackBerry Messenger. He pointed out to me that his BlackBerry Messenger no longer let him scan URL links like the ones on BerryReview and App World and open it in the browser. I tried the same thing on my BlackBerry Torch with the latest BBM and it also does not work. It just scans the code, beeps, and then ignores it.
At first I thought it might be a fluke but it turns out that RIM did this on purpose. They just published the following issue statement:
Overview – When scanning a 2D barcode using the Scan a PIN Barcode or Scan a Group Barcode option in BlackBerry Messenger, the scan will occur but the application will appear to do nothing and return to the contact list.
Cause – This will happen when scanning a barcode that is not a BlackBerry Messenger contact or group barcode. BlackBerry Messenger is not designed to read non-BlackBerry Messenger barcodes such as URLs, text, or other information.
Resolution – This is a previously reported issue that has been escalated internally to our development team. A resolution time frame is currently unavailable.
Workaround – Obtain a barcode reader from an applicable third party vendor. To view a list of available applications for the BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry App World storefront is available on the device or you can visit www.blackberry.com/appworld.
Hopefully RIM will add back this functionality in a future version of BBM. I really cannot believe that they have not built this feature into the camera natively in OS 6. They already have the code written so why limit it to App World and BBM. That is just stupid…
Eric ( View Profile) - Posts: