It's the end of an era for users of the device. The company behind the classic black phone with a keyboard will no longer use its software after January 4, meaning classic devices will no longer work.
"As of this date, devices running 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," the company said in a statement dated December 22, 2021.
The company thanked their loyal customers and partners.
The newer devices will work for now.
John Chen, the CEO of the company, made a statement on September 9, 2020, in which he said that the company was going to become a software company and that it was going to stop providing legacy services.
The last version of the operating system was launched by the company in 2013, and it will be phased out between 2016 and 2020. According to The New York Times, the company stopped making its own phones.
After getting elected in 2008, former President Barack Obama fought to keep a stripped-down version of his Blackberry, which was once a favorite of top execs.
According to The Guardian, in the early 2010s, the market share of the iPhone was overtaken by the 20% owned by the Blackberry.
The company will make a billion dollars in revenue in 2020.
