14 DAY TRIAL // With all the Carrier IQ rumors that have been coming and going these days, it is important to know exactly how you can detect the software on the phone, but also how it can be removed.
Although many carriers and handset manufacturers came forward and said that they did not pre-load the Carrier IQ software on their handsets.
However, there as some carriers which confirmed that they use the software to improve customers’ experience, but that this is only present on some of the phones in their portfolio.
Research In Motion stepped forward two weeks ago and stated that it does not include the Carrier IQ software on any of its smartphones.
On the other hand, T-Mobile USA, one of the carriers that uses Carrier IQ “to improve call quality,” pre-loaded the software on three BlackBerry smartphones, the Bold 9900, Curve 9360 and Torch 9810.
Even though T-Mobile USA issued a statement confirming the fact that it uses the infamous software, the carrier did not reveal which phones have the application pre-installed and which ones are Carrier IQ-free.
The information on the three BlackBerry smartphones that include the Carrier IQ software came via a leaked T-Mobile internal document, which was published by the folks over at TmoNews.
In this regard, RIM felt the need to explain BlackBerry users how they can remove the Carrier IQ application from their smartphones.
Removing Carrier IQ from Android smartphones is not an easy task. This is the main reason that software security companies like Lookout and BitDefender launched dedicated applications that can be downloaded for free via Android Market.
Fortunately, this is not the case with BlackBerry smartphones. According to RIM, BlackBerry users who want to get rid of the Carrier IQ must follow the same procedure when removing a third-party application.
For more details on how to remove a third-party application from a BlackBerry smartphone check RIM’s support site here.