Today, 4 January 2022, support has stopped for all BlackBerry devices running BlackBerry’s own operating system (including OS versions 10, 7.1, and earlier).
BlackBerry handsets which do not run on Android are no longer able to use data, send text messages, access the internet or make calls.
BlackBerry originally announced this back in September 2020. The impact of this switch-off is largely reduced, as most users have now moved on from BlackBerry phones. BlackBerry now focus on providing security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company moved away from producing handsets in 2016, and instead licensed its brand to phone manufacturers including TCL and OnwardMobility.
BlackBerry devices were popularised in the late 1990s and early 2000s, mainly due to the physical keyboard which made texting and emailing easier, as well as BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) which was a forebear of social media apps such as WhatsApp.
When Apple launched their first iPhone with touchscreen and no keyboard in 2007, this style of handset quickly took over market share. Followed by various manufacturers such as LG and Samsung producing multiple varying devices using Google’s Android operating system. BlackBerry devices and its operating system were left behind.