Blackberry says it will stop offering support for smartphones running its 10, 7.1 OS, and earlier versions from January 4.
The Canadian smartphone brand had in a blog post announced to its users that it would be turning off OS support for some of its smartphones.
This is just as the firm completes its years-long shift from making mobile phones to a software-based business model.
The company also disclosed that its older devices — not running on Android — will no longer be able to text, access the internet, make calls, or dial 911.
This means the latest Blackberry devices running on Android software will continue to work for now.
BlackBerry has been out of the phone business since 2016 but continued to license its brand to manufacturers.
With the last version of its OS launched in 2013, BlackBerry first spoke of the discontinuation in September 2020.
The firm, it is understood, will now focus on providing security software and services to enterprises and governments.
BlackBerry started in 1996 as research in motion with called two-way pagers, allowing users to reply to messages.
Three years later, RIM introduced the BlackBerry name with the BlackBerry 850. BlackBerry phones then gained support for email, apps, web browsing, and BBM (an encrypted messaging platform that predated WhatsApp).
Apple’s revolution with the touchscreen iPhone technology in 2007 made BlackBerry’s offerings appear to be lacking.
BlackBerry would later try to make touch screens devices and slide-out keyboard models with little success.
It eventually gave up on its own software, embraced Android, and layered its security software on top.
The company would also find some success in making enterprise security and automotive software.
Copyright 2024 TheCable. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from TheCable.
Follow us on twitter @Thecablestyle