BlackBerry today marks the end of an era, as it has stopped supporting its iconic smartphones over 22 years.
The move will impact devices running BlackBerry 7.1 and earlier, BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 — although Android-powered models will be unaffected.
In a September statement, the company warned that unsupported systems would stop receiving updates for software and will therefore no longer function reliably.
The Canadian company stated that this could have a negative impact on core operations such as the ability to receive and send calls, including to emergency services, and text messages.
The impact on data usage could also affect applications such as BlackBerry Link, Desktop manager, World Messenger, Blend, and Blend. However, these apps will still be able to perform their functions.

Today marks the end for an era in BlackBerry’s history. The company has ended support of its iconic smartphones, like the one pictured here, 22 years since their first appearance on the market.
BlackBerry launched on the market for the first time in 2000. The smartphone was a necessity for professionals as it enabled users to quickly write and receive emails.
Smartphones saw an explosion in popularity between 2001 and 2007, when they were introduced to new markets around the world.
But, in 2016 BlackBerry was overtaken by Apple and lost its title as the number one device.
And in the end, it was arguably BlackBerry’s failure to adapt, lack of consumer insight and poor design that led to its demise in 2018 — when the company announced that it would no longer be producing the smartphone.
The last version of the BlackBerry OS the firm released dated back to 2013, so the devices set to lose support are very old, Ars Technica have reported.
BlackBerry released a statement saying that “termination of these services offerings and infrastructure will also affect functionality for applications.”
These, they added, will include Enhanced Sim Based Licensing, Identity Based Licensing, BlackBerry-hosted email addresses and the original BlackBerry Protect, which let users locate, lock and wipe BBOS and BlackBerry 10 devices remotely.
According to the company, there is no effect on the BlackBerry Protect (an AI-based endpoint protection solution),

Android-powered BlackBerry devices — like the Key2, pictured — will operate just as normal
In 2020, a Texas firm named OnwardMobility announced that it would be making a 5G Android-powered BlackBerry device with a full QWERTY keyboard to release in 2021 — however, the promised smartphone has yet to actually materialise.
‘Enterprise professionals are eager for secure 5G devices that enable productivity, without sacrificing the user experience,’ OnwardMobility CEO Peter Franklin said.
BlackBerry smartphones have a reputation for protecting data, privacy and communications. OnwardMobility now has the opportunity to offer next-generation 5G phones to customers with the support of BlackBerry and FIH Mobile.
OnwardMobility’s website mentions the Android powered Blackberry but only states that it is in the pre-order stage. There are no indications as to when the actual release will occur.