BlackBerry Has Officially Pulled the Plug on Its OS Devices

After previously announcing the news last year, BlackBerry has officially suspended its support for its BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry PlayBook OS, which has left loyal users heartbroken over their long-time treasured devices. The Canadian software company stated in 2020 that it would eventually discontinue the service which these classic phones are now unable to make calls, send texts or dial 911.

Beloved BlackBerry phones were once seen as the latest innovative technology where one could easily send quick emails from anywhere and everywhere, but eventually, the hype died down in the later 2000s when Apple unveiled the iPhone and Android smartphones flooded the market. In 2016, BlackBerry ceased its efforts in manufacturing phones but announced a partnership with OnwardMobility in 2020 to work on a new phone which will include the brand’s cherished keyboard — further progress is yet to come to light.

With the company’s initiative to move from mobile phones to selling security software to other corporations and governments, the only BlackBerry devices such as the Key2 and other models running on Android software will still continue working.

A number of die-hard users remained faithful to their BlackBerry phones until the very last minute, while others have encased their devices and hung them as art pieces. SKIMS founder Kim Kardashian let go of the device in 2016 as she couldn’t find a replacement for her BlackBerry Bold which was the same case for a lot of users. While some turned a new leaf years ago, others still hoard a stash of devices as relics or turn them into alarm clocks instead.

“Letting go of the past is always bittersweet, even when a brighter future awaits,” said BlackBerry CEO John Chen in the company’s blog post. “We have been holding off on decommissioning the BlackBerry service out of loyalty to our customers for a long time.”

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