Legacy BlackBerry devices die today

If you’re still using a classic BlackBerry that isn’t running on the Android operating system, your phone will no longer run reliably after today. Last year, BlackBerry has announced that it will decommission legacy services for devices running on BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry 7.1, or BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 or earlier, on the 4th of January 2022.

Whether they are running on mobile data or WiFi connection, the devices may not reliably function as intended. It added that the devices will lack the ability to receive over the air (OTA) provisioning updates and this means you can’t depend on it for data, phone calls, SMS, and even 911 functionality. Native applications such as BlackBerry Link, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and BlackBerry Blend will also have limited functionality.

The end-of-life devices include the BlackBerry Classic, BlackBerry Passport, BlackBerry Leap, Z10, Z30, Q10, Q5, as well as the Porsche Design models. Legacy models from more than 7 years ago such as the BlackBerry Bold, Curve, Torch, Storm, and older, are also affected as well.

If you’re using the newer range of BlackBerry Android devices such as the PRIV, KeyOne and Key2, you’re not affected for now. BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), which was one of the most popular messaging services, has been discontinued for consumers on 31st May 2019.

BlackBerry was one of the most popular business devices a decade ago thanks to its tactile QWERTY keyboard and secured operating system. It reached its peak in 2013 with over 85 million BlackBerry users worldwide. After the rise of iPhone and Android, BlackBerry has struggled to stay relevant and even its switch to Android wasn’t enough to stop the decline.

Eventually, BlackBerry signed a licensing agreement with TCL to produce BlackBerry-branded devices but the deal ended on 31st August 2020. TCL will still continue to provide support for its existing BlackBerry devices until 31st August 2022. The last BlackBerry device to be sold in Malaysia is the Key2 and it was launched locally in 2018 for RM2,599.

Last year, it was reported that BlackBerry devices will return in 2021 via OnwardMobility. The company was supposed to deliver a new BlackBerry 5G smartphone that comes with a physical keyboard. It’s already 2022 and we haven’t heard any updates about the device so far.

[ SOURCE, VIA, IMAGE SOURCE ]