Nearly all of the classic BlackBerry phones will stop working today

It’s the end of an era, folks. Starting today, the vast majority of Canada’s own BlackBerry phones will cease to work, as the parent company is no longer offering service for its original operating systems. The phones, which more or less dominated the early days of the ‘smartphone’ era, were known for their full-sized keyboards and emphasis on security, making them a favourite in the business world.

Of course, we mostly know about them because the cool kids growing up would be constantly messing around on BBM on their Pearls, while we were stuck using T9 and regular old texting like a bunch of peasants. Still hoping to catch that magic? Luckily, BlackBerry phones that use Android operating systems will continue to function. But, we’ll be honest- it just doesn’t have the same draw for us as the iconic options.

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Anyway, BlackBerry (formerly known as Research in Motion), has been planning this for a while. The Canadian company, which has shifted almost entirely into the software and cybersecurity space, originally announced that it would be phasing out phone support back in 2017, and made an official announcement about it last year. Even still, the end of the ‘crackberry’ does take with it a simpler time for smartphones.

On a completely different note, know what company has really leaned into its iconic roots? Nokia, which has been releasing modern updates of some of its most recognizable models over the past few months.