It looks to be the end of an era for the Blackberry; the famous handheld device that has been introduced to generations. The Canadian company has decided to stop operating their devices. This means that users who currently operate with the Blackberry, will no longer be able to do so from Tuesday the 4th of January. 

This effectively means that Blackberry will no longer offer support or maintenance to those using its legacy operating systems, which means it will no longer function. Users who are working with older devices will no longer be able to send text messages, make phone calls or access the internet. 

It could be seen as the end of an era for the once popular communication device, with Blackberry Messenger being hot as it’s ever been from 2010 to 2013. Just say the word “PING!” or mention the Screen Muncher and they’ll know what you’re talking about. However, after 2013, the rise of android and iOS effectively put Blackberry on the shelves. After 2016 when they transitioned into a security software business, Blackberry no longer made additional devices. 

The Blackberry became one of the first devices that was purposely built for communication via text and email – their physical keyboards being a key addition. 

In a blog post, Blackberry said: “When we started WhatsApp in 2009, people's use of mobile devices looked very different from today.

"The Apple App Store was only a few months old. About 70% of smartphones sold at the time had operating systems offered by BlackBerry and Nokia."