BlackBerry users were reminded in a statement that service for their classic devices would be discontinued.
BlackBerry’s users were reminded of the impending shutdown of so-called legacy services in a statement posted on December 22.
“As a reminder, 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,” reads the statement.
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The shutdown means that the phones will no longer function reliably for “data, phone calls, SMS, and 9-1-1 functionality,” according to BlackBerry.
BlackBerry, which has transitioned away from phones to become a software company focused on providing “intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments,” announced in September 2020 that it would discontinue its phone service.
BlackBerry phones were once considered status symbols among celebrities and CEOs, and they pervaded many aspects of popular culture. The brand peaked in 2012, but as technology shifted away from the BlackBerry’s external keyboard and toward the full screen of the smartphone, so did pop culture.
