Skip to main content

BlackBerry’s global creative director Alicia Keys tweets from iPhone, blames hackers

BlackBerry 10 - Thorsten Heins and Alicia KeysWhen Thorsten Heins took to the stage in New York at the end of last month, we knew he was going to unveil BlackBerry’s new mobile platform and we knew he was going to take the wraps off two new phones, the Z10 and Q10. What we didn’t know was that he was going to introduce singer-songwriter Alicia Keys as the company’s new global creative director.

But despite telling Heins that she has now cast her aside her iPhone and was “exclusively” with BlackBerry, it appears Keys has been unable to break the habit, having apparently sent a tweet from her Apple-made phone on Monday.

“Started from the bottom now were here!” Keys’ tweet said (a line from a new song by hip hop artist Drake), accompanied by “via Twitter for iPhone.” Oops!

After deleting the post, Keys tweeted, “What the h*ll?!!!! Looks like I’ve been hacked… I like @Drake but that wasn’t my tweet :-(”

keys tweet
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A BlackBerry spokesperson told CNBC on Monday that Keys “no longer has an iPhone and believes her account was hacked.”

Whether or not that’s the case, the incident is still something of an embarrassment for all concerned, especially considering the play Heins and Keys made about her switch to the Z10 during her appearance at the BlackBerry 10 launch event.

“You were a long time BlackBerry user and then we lost you for a while, what happened?” Heins had asked Keys.

“I was in a long-term relationship with BlackBerry and then I started to notice some newer, attractive, sexier phones at the gym and I kind of broke up with you for something that had a little more bling,” Keys replied.

She went on, “But I always missed the way you organized my life and the way you were there for me for my job and so I started having two phones. I was playing the field.

“And then you called and you told me you were working out, you added a lot more features, a new platform, you got a lot faster, all of that was true, and now we’re exclusively dating again and I’m very happy.”

If Keys did still have an iPhone when she woke up Monday morning, it’s a safe bet it’s in the trash can now.

Oprah

Keys’ misstep (or not) has echoes of an incident back in November when Oprah Winfrey tweeted how much she loved Microsoft’s RT tablet – from an iPad.

“Gotta say love that SURFACE! Have bought 12 already for Christmas gifts. #FavoriteThings,” she wrote in the post. However, whereas Keys is presumably being paid a tidy sum for her work with BlackBerry, it’s not clear if Winfrey had received anything in return for her pro-Surface Tweet. Apple might have considered sending her a free device or two, however.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
How to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone
How to transfer photos from an iPhone to an iPhone

These days, many of us live our entire lives on our smartphones, rarely touching a desktop PC or laptop when we're away from the office. Thankfully, Apple recognized this years ago and has made the iPhone incredibly easy to access and share information from your iPhone without resorting to a computer.

This naturally includes one of the things many folks share with others on a near-daily basis: photos and videos. Thanks to features like AirDrop, beaming your favorite pics over to someone else's iPhone can be done in only a couple of taps. You can also create shared albums in iCloud that don't eat up any storage space, and with iOS 16 and later, you can even create an entire photo library that's shared between close friends and family members.

Read more
The 6 biggest announcements from Apple’s iPhone 15 event
Invite for Apple's September 2023 event.

Apple Event - September 12

Every year brings something new, and that's doubly true for smartphones. Summer is on the way out, and while the retreat of the sun is bad news for many, there's a bright silver lining on this cloud: The release of the Apple iPhone 15. Apple has brought the basic iPhones into line with the Pro models, giving even the cheapest flagship models access to the Dynamic Island and the design refresh that we loved in last year's Pro iPhones. But that isn't all, as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max were also revealed, with improvements of their own.

Read more
The best iPhone keyboard apps in 2023: our 12 favorites
Typing on the iPhone 14 Plus.

The iPhone's built-in keyboard may not suit everyone's preferences. Its limited features might leave some users desiring more variety and flexibility, especially on larger phones like the iPhone 14 Pro Max or smaller models like the iPhone 13 mini or iPhone SE 2022.

We have researched and compiled a comprehensive list of the best third-party keyboards for iPhone, which can greatly enhance your texting experience. These keyboards offer a variety of features and customization options, such as adjustable key size, swipe typing, themes, and easier access to emojis. With most of them available for free and some offering premium subscription options, you can easily find a keyboard that suits your needs and preferences.

Read more