With the debut of the BlackBerry 850 on January 19, 1999, BlackBerry was born.
In the years that followed, the brand exploded, giving something that none of its competitors could match: Emails while on the move.
Even if you didn’t possess a BlackBerry, you could bet your bottom dollar that you knew someone who did, or that you saw one in the hands of someone else on a frequent basis.
That real QWERTY keyboard, with its tap, tap, tap, could be heard in every railway compartment and plane.
But it wasn’t just about emailing on the move. You might also use BBM, BlackBerry’s instant messaging service.
It may be all about WhatsApp now, but BBM has read receipts for years.
When will BlackBerry phones stop working completely?
BlackBerry said last year that it will begin phasing down legacy services, including support for its own operating systems such as the BlackBerry 10 platform, in early 2022.
The phone services as a result will be discontinued on January 4, 2022. The smartphones will then ‘no longer reliably work,’ according to BlackBerry.
This includes the ability to call, text, receive data, and contact emergency lines.
“The termination of these service offerings and infrastructure will also have an impact on functionality for applications such as Enhanced Sim Based Licensing (ESBL) / Identity Based Licensing (IBL), BlackBerry hosted email addresses, BlackBerry Link, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, BlackBerry Blend, and BlackBerry Protect (which allows consumers to remotely lock, locate, and wipe BBOS, BlackBerry 10 devices,” BlackBerry said in a statement.
