These BlackBerry phones will stop working in just a few days – you must upgrade NOW
BLACKBERRY fans have been put on red alert, as a number of classic handsets are scheduled to stop working in a matter of days. If you're using one of the affected handsets, you'll need to upgrade to make sure you can continue texting, calling and surfing the internet on your smartphone.
BlackBerry has warned phones running its own software will "no longer reliably function" from next week. That's because on January 4, 2022, the former smartphone giant is decommissioning the operating system that it built from the ground-up. Devices running BlackBerry 7.1 or earlier, BlackBerry 10, or the PlayBook tablet operating system will be impacted by the shutdown. As such, if you rely on a device with this software – you could have trouble making phone calls, sending text messages, calling emergency services and accessing data.
To be affected by this change, you'll have to be holding onto an ageing BlackBerry phone that's well past the date that it became eligible for an upgrade.
Devices running BlackBerry 10 will be the most recent phones affected, but this OS first launched back in 2013. While BlackBerry 7.1 and the PlayBook tablet OS debuted in 2011.
BlackBerry originally announced the end-of-support date for its software back in September 2020, and have been reminding its users as the cut-off date now approaches.
In a statement posted online at Christmas, BlackBerry shared: "As a reminder, the legacy services for BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions, will no longer be available after January 4, 2022. As of this date, devices running these 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 functionality. We thank our many loyal customers and partners over the years and invite you to learn more about how BlackBerry provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world."
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Thankfully though, if you want to stick with the BlackBerry brand, you can always turn to one of the Android-powered BlackBerry phones.
BlackBerry switched to the Google-made OS in 2015, and devices from then onwards won't be affected by the impending cut-off date. If you have a legacy BlackBerry device, and are looking to backup your data, then you'll need to follow these links...
• BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier
• BlackBerry PlayBook 2.1 OS and earlier
If you're one of the affected BlackBerry users, and are looking for a new smartphone, then you can take advantage of some money saving deals running right now.
As part of the latest smartphone sales you can pick up Apple's iPhone 13 at half price from Three Mobile. This means you can get pick up one of the biggest phones of 2021 at a bargain price.
Or, if you'd rather have an Android phone, then you can get a Samsung Galaxy S21 or Galaxy S20 FE from EE and get a free Samsung Chromebook laptop thrown in as well.