Users of the old OS will lose access to many services on January 4, 2022. This change does not affect BlackBerry Android.
After having known a period of glory before the explosion of the iPhone which transformed this whole industry, the decline of Blackberry continues with the imminent arrival of a symbolic deadline; on January 4, all the old devices of the brand that still run on BlackBerry OS will no longer be supported at all.
From that date, all devices running BlackBerry 7.1 OS, BlackBerry 10 Software, or BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and all earlier versions will lose access to many services. In its press release, the brand explains that “services over cellular networks or Wi-Fi connections will no longer work reliably”.
This includes several more or less essential functions, such as phone calls, text messages, mobile data, and even emergency calls. BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry ID, or email addresses attached to a BlackBerry domain name are also affected. However, BBM Entreprise will continue to be available on other platforms.
The end of an era
Newer models will however be exempt. No panic, then; if your BlackBerry is running Android, you don’t have to worry about it. Your device will continue to operate normally. On the other hand, it is the end of an era for fans of the brand. Quite a symbol for a device that once stood out for its avant-garde features, such as the famous exclusive secure messaging system.
It continues to fall from the top, after having accumulated strategic errors over the last fifteen years. The staff of the brand did not see the iPhone coming at all, which completely dynamised the market. He then proved unable to offer a decent alternative to the bloated catalog of the Google Play Store, which ended up leading to the abdication of Blackberry OS in favor of Android.
