BlackBerry to halt services for its existing devices in 2022
BlackBerry has announced its plans to discontinue offering significant services for its existing devices in 2022. According to Mashable, the company’s smartphones will be without provisioning services from January 4, leaving them unable to connect to mobile networks and other services.
Historically, BlackBerry’s keyboard-centric designs led to high demand among business workers. However, with the rise of touch screen interfaces on Android and iPhone devices, BlackBerry struggled to keep up with the changing industry landscape. As a result, the company has decided to abandon its proprietary services in favor of Android.
Despite its decision to discontinue services, BlackBerry will continue to support older devices running its proprietary software. However, with the latest software update for BlackBerry OS released in 2013, the impact of shutting down operations is expected to be minimal.
BlackBerry is prepared to bid farewell to its remaining users, stating that it will no longer respond to provisioning updates for its handsets. As a result, these devices will eventually stop working and lose the ability to connect to Wi-Fi or cellular networks. Additionally, BlackBerry World and BlackBerry Link will be decommissioned on January 4.
With these changes, the iconic smartphone company is signaling its exit from the hardware sector, ceding its position as a minor competitor in the market. While it once captured the market with its secure and confidential services, the company’s transition to Android signifies a new chapter for BlackBerry.
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