BlackBerry devices with the original operating system and associated services will be no longer supported after January 4. This marks the end of an era in BlackBerry’s history, which catapulted work into mobile technology.
BlackBerry Ltd. in Ontario, a company that was once Research In Motion, has announced that handsets running its proprietary software “will not be expected to reliably work” after Tuesday according to its end of life page.
This move was first announced in 2020. It effectively ends a line-up that is still popular in some parts of the globe for its reliability, security, and popularity.
BlackBerry keyboards and BlackBerry smartphones were once the most popular mobile device for both professionals and young people who wanted to use its proprietary platform to send and receive email.
Blackberry vs iPhone and Android
The appeal of the company dwindled as Apple Inc.’s iPhone, along with a host of Android handsets featuring larger displays, better graphics, and more apps took over the market in the last decade.
In 2016, the Canadian company stopped producing smartphones and switched to software-only. TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. licensed its brand and services. TCL continued to release smartphones until 2020.
Alphabet Inc.’s Android OS powered the TCL devices and will continue to be supported through August.
But the BlackBerry name was so beloved that it became one of the most popular meme stocks in 2021. This triggered a huge spike in share prices in January, before another steep decline.
The company stated that these devices won’t be able to receive over-the-air provisioning updates. As such, it is not expected that this functionality will continue to function reliably. This includes data and phone calls as well as SMS and 9-1-1 functionality. Applications will also be limited in functionality.