BlackBerry discontinues support for legacy devices on January 4, 2022

Before I joined the cult of the iPhone, of which I have been a member for many years, my first big phone purchase was a BlackBerry. Time made him slow as a turtle, and he began his new life in a drawer in one of the many apartments and houses I lived in. I’ve forgotten about BlackBerry devices over the years, as I’m sure most of you have done – no offense to eternal BlackBerry fans – so far.

The only reason I’m talking about BlackBerry phones now is because they will officially die on January 4, 2022. If this sounds familiar to you, it’s because we’ve been saying that BlackBerry phones are disappearing since at least 2016, when the company announced it was exiting the hardware business. Pieces of his empire, such as BlackBerry World app store and legendary BBM messaging service, have been slowly falling ever since.

Still, for anyone who still owns an old device, it’s really time to say goodbye.

IN recent message of support on its website, BlackBerry kindly reminded users with devices with BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier – all considered legacy devices – that after January 4, 2022 These products lose the ability to perform key functions.

BlackBerry, which now offers security software, originally announced the end of the life of these devices in September 2020.

“As of this date, devices running these legacy services and software via either an operator or Wi-Fi connection will no longer function reliably, including data, phone calls, SMS and 9-1-1 functionality,” BlackBerry said.

In addition, BlackBerry applications, including BlackBerry Link, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and BlackBerry Blend, will have “limited functionality.” Users with an email address hosted by BlackBerry or receiving redirected mail to a BlackBerry email address will need to switch to another service.

It is important that the end date of the service will not affect BlackBerry Android devices unless users redirect their email to BlackBerry email or use an enhanced SIM-based license or an identity-based license. In the case of licenses, BlackBerry says users will need to obtain a standard license to cover use of BlackBerry business services on their device.

As for what you should do if you have a BlackBerry legacy device that you don’t want to get rid of, the company is not holding back.

“Customers will have to switch to new devices. Contact your chosen carrier for more information on available devices and plans, ”BlackBerry said.

Here’s to BlackBerry phones. While they will no longer be there, the company can be sure that they have left a mark in society. As for my BlackBerry which is still in an unfamiliar drawer somewhere, it served me well while it lasted.