This a will affect users of all BlackBerry products running BlackBerry OS; newer BlackBerry products which use the Android Operating System are not affected. These devices "will no longer reliably function" from 4 January, including for calls and texts.

BlackBerry was once a huge presence in the mobile smartphone world, boasting an estimated 20% global market share in 2010. However, following the rise of the iPhone and subsequent Android touchscreen devices, Blackberry devices with their physical QWERTY keyboards fell out of fashion.

By 2016 BlackBerry had outsourced its hardware, no longer manufacturing its own phones and made a move into software. Today, BlackBerry promotes itself as a Software & Cybersecurity Company developing software solutions for large enterprises.