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First BlackBerry, now Tizen: Android alternatives are less viable than before
- Samsung has shut down the Tizen app store for smartphones.
- The news comes roughly a week after BlackBerry devices reached end-of-life status too.
Tizen and BlackBerry are already dead platforms walking, but they’ve suffered mortal blows that make them virtually impossible to use as alternatives to Android.
Tizen Help reports (h/t: GSMArena) that Samsung shut down the Tizen app store for smartphones from December 31, 2021. The app store was restricted to existing users from June 2021, but the shutdown means even existing consumers will need to look elsewhere.
Tizen wasn’t a popular smartphone platform by any measure, with Samsung’s Galaxy Z series of Tizen phones last seeing a release in 2017. So it’s not a surprise to see Samsung taking this route, but it does mark the end of an era. The platform actually saw more success in the smartwatch arena, but the Korean manufacturer is now embracing Wear OS 3 instead.
BlackBerry suffers mortal blows too
Last week also saw another blow for those hanging onto phones with alternative platforms, as BlackBerry OS devices reached end-of-life status. BlackBerry announced that, as of January 4, 2022, legacy services for BlackBerry OS 7.1 and earlier, BlackBerry 10, and PlayBook OS will no longer be available. These legacy services include data, phone calls, emergency calls, and SMS.
Tizen and BlackBerry 10 join old Android rivals like BadaOS, Windows Phone, MeeGo, and WebOS in falling to the wayside.
In fact, the only notable Android alternative still around (aside from iOS and custom ROMs) is the Sailfish OS platform. But this project is only available on a few phones and requires you to spend €49.90 (~$57) to gain access to Android app support and firmware updates.
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