BlackBerry finally shuts down services
BlackBerry Ltd., formerly known as Research In Motion, has announced that its original operating system and services will no longer be supported on its devices.
After Tuesday, the services required to keep wireless connectivity/data services running on the mobile devices and others will be switched off. The shutdown is part of an “end of life” decommissioning programme that was initially announced in 2020.
“As a reminder, the legacy services for BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions, will no longer be available after January 4, 2022,” Blackberry said on its website, “As of this date, devices running these legacy services and software through either carrier or Wi-Fi connections will no longer reliably function, including for data, phone calls, SMS and 9-1-1 functionality.”
Though BlackBerry said that its Android phones “will not be impacted by the EOL of infrastructure services unless they are receiving redirected email sent to a BlackBerry hosted email address, or assigned an Enhanced Sim Based License (ESBL) or Identity Based License (IBL),” devices running the operating systems listed above won’t be able to make calls, send texts over cellular networks or Wi-Fi.
This also includes BlackBerry Desktop, Lin, Blend, World, Protect, Password Keeper, PIN to PIN device messaging, Enhanced Sim Based Licensing, and Identity Based Licensing. BlackBerry-hosted email addresses will also stop working, even on other platforms like Android and iOS.
The Canada-based company stopped producing its own smartphones in 2016, migrating to a software-only business and licensing its brand and services to TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. which continued to release devices until its production deal concluded in 2020.
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