BlackBerry announced that it would stop supporting Android phones once the kings lost to the times

BlackBerry announced that it would stop supporting Android phones once the king lost to the times

Business Password January 4 (Shao Feng) recently, BlackBerry will stop supporting its classic devices running BlackBerry 10, 7.1 OS and earlier versions. This means that all older devices that are not running Android software will no longer be able to use data, send text messages, access the internet or make phone calls, or even dial 911.

While most mobile users have moved away from BlackBerry, its latest version of the operating system launched in 2013, the move to stop supporting its phones represents the end of what was once considered cutting-edge technology.

BlackBerry originally made the announcement in September 2020 as part of its efforts to provide security software and services to businesses and governments around the world under the name BlackBerry Limited.

BlackBerry (BB) has exited the phone business for most of its time since 2016, but over the years, it has continued to license its brand to phone makers, including TCL and most recently OnwardMobility, an Austin, Texas-based security startup for 5G BlackBerry devices running on Android software. (BlackBerry's Android devices are not affected by the end of service.) ）

Older phones with physical keyboards introduced by BlackBerry in the late 1990s and early 2000s were so popular that people nicknamed them "CrackBerries." Keyboards appeal to professionals who want to work flexibly outside the office using some of the tools used on desktop computers.

The devices became status symbols and fixtures for Wall Street personalities, celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and even President Barack Obama, in part because of its good reputation for security. Peaking in 2012, BlackBerry had over 80 million active users.

Eventually, BlackBerry gained support for email, apps, web browsing, and BBM, an encrypted text messaging platform that predates WhatsApp and persists long after BlackBerry was overtaken by competitors.

But Apple's touchscreen revolution for the iPhone in 2007 made BlackBerry's products seem somewhat lacking. It tried the touchscreen and slide-out keyboard models, but to little success. It developed a number of phones that didn't have physical keyboards, but none of which lacked the key difference of the BlackBerry: the haptic keyboard.

BlackBerry eventually abandoned its own software in favor of Android and put its security software first. It has had some success with enterprise security software and automotive software.

Effective August 31, 2020, brand-licensed TCL Communications will no longer sell BlackBerry-branded mobile devices or have the right to design, manufacture and sell any new BlackBerry mobile devices. At the same time, BlackBerry also stressed that it will develop a BlackBerry 5G mobile phone with partners, but so far there has been no news.