BlackBerry devices running the original operating system and services are now no longer supported after January 4 , 2022 marking the end of an era for the storied device that catapulted work into the mobile era.

The Waterloo, Ontario, Canada-based BlackBerry Ltd , a company that was formerly known as Research In Motion whose signature handset in the 1990s came to embody working on the move, said handsets running its in-house software “will no longer be expected to reliably function” after Tuesday, according to its end-of-life page.

RIP Blackberry: End of an Era – How did this Happen ?

Unlike the people who developed Android, BlackBerry’s leadership was blindsided by the iPhone’s popularity. BlackBerry dismissed onscreen keyboards and counted on its stranglehold on corporate services for market share. The company took over a year after the iPhone’s release to come out with its own touchscreen phone, and its software remained an awkward mix of old and new for some time after. In the meantime, corporate users fell in love with their Apple and Android phones and compelled IT departments to support them.

BlackBerry eventually gave up on its own phones and started releasing Android versions before exiting the hardware business entirely (it now primarily provides corporate security services). The last version of the BlackBerry OS it released dates back to 2013, so the devices affected here are now extremely old. The promised period of support actually ended over a year ago, which means the company has already over-delivered on its promises.

RIP Blackberry: End of an Era : What does this mean exactly ?

The key change is that BlackBerry will no longer be sending out provisioning updates to these devices. Provisioning information provides details on how the devices should establish connections with different types of networking equipment, including cellular and Wi-Fi networks. At some indeterminate point in the future, networking updates made by service providers will mean that the BlackBerry devices can no longer connect. As a result, BlackBerry says its devices “will no longer be expected to reliably function, including for data, phone calls, SMS, and 9-1-1 functionality.”

There are a handful of software services that relied on connections to BlackBerry servers in order to function. So, if you relied on something like BlackBerry World or BlackBerry Link, those will stop functioning today.

RIP Blackberry : Celebrities Loved the Phone

RIP Blackberry: End of an Era for the Classic Devices - Kim Kardashian with her Blackberry

In its prime-time Blackberry enjoyed a great deal of love and support from various Celebrities as you can see below , including Kim Kardashian who is seeing flashing that once symbol of ‘prestige’ in the photo above.

While CNN’s Wolf Blitzer took to Social Media to Bid his Farewell officially to his beloved Blackberry.

Many will indeed miss the phone and many will have tender memories of it , including myself, Rest in Peace Blackberry !