Balckberry ceases official security support for PRIV

 

Android is notorious for getting extremely short support for software on all kinds of handsets. Expensive flagship models tend to get a maximum of two major OS updates and security updates for two years, whereas the cheaper ones hardly get one or none at all. Blackberry, who made the decision to ditch its own OS in favour of Android, has decided to axe support for the Priv, declaring it to complete its two-year life cycle.

“When we introduced our first Android device more than 24 months ago, we committed to delivering 2 years of monthly software updates for the PRIV.  True to our word, we fulfilled this commitment though, in truth, the PRIV’s built-in security posture had little need for many of the updates we delivered in conjunction with partners such as Google and Qualcomm. Having now stepped outside the original 2-year window, we will no longer be delivering monthly updates for the PRIV moving forward,” Blackberry wrote in one of its blog posts.

The company feels confident about its security features that were baked into the PRIV and are confident that it shouldn’t worry existing users. But they have also promised to provide security support in case of a critical issue that poses threat to the regular usage scenarios.

The company has declared that they will be offering various trade-up programs for PRIV customers as well as BB10 and BBOS users. The PRIV was Blackberry’s first Android smartphone with Blackberry’s QWERTY keyboard sliding out of the bottom.

(source)