BlackBerry to shut down its mobile phone

Once the preferred mobile device, BlackBerry shuts down services on cellphones on Tuesday.

The company, preferred for Capitol Hill, Wall Street, and the media, is closing the door on a technology that took part in a revolution in communications.

In 202, BlackBerry announced that it would stop updating software and operating systems on its devices in 2022 (Jan. 4). The move affects BlackBerry’s 7.1 OS, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1, and BlackBerry 10 software devices. Besides this, other related services, including BlackBerry hosted emails and BlackBerry Messenger, also are ending.

BlackBerry said on its website that devices running these legacy services and software would no longer function. This process includes shutting down data, SMS, phone calls, and 9-1-1 (emergency) functionality.

In the meantime, BlackBerry phones that use the Android operating system will still operate. However, the company said that they would no longer update the platform or related services.

BlackBerry and its devices became popular in the early 2000s. Its popularity came because it was a pioneer in private messaging unable to be traced. After that, Apple and Google introduced encrypted messaging technology. This is why now most U.S. wireless consumers have migrated to iPhone or Android gadgets.

End of Blackberry

Previously called Research in Motion, the company stopped making cellphones in 2016.

There is no formal calculation of how many people still use pre-Android BlackBerry devices. In the meantime, fans keep posting about their old phones on social media.

Wolf Blitzer tweeted that he stopped using his beloved BlackBerry mobile phone several years ago. He added that he is sad to see its official end today.

PGA golfer Ian Poulter also expressed his sadness to see BlackBerry go.

BlackBerry now focuses on selling cybersecurity software. The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, valued over $5 billion.