Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Recall in US, Software Updates, and Forced Crippling

By Raizel Albano
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Federal Aviation Administration has banned the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on flights due to exploding batteries. Photo: XeeTechCare / YouTube

2.5 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones are now in trouble for recall, with issues of faulty batteries, handsets, and phones catching fire while charging.

Injuries and property damages have been reported in the US, Australia, the UK, and many other European countries. With 1 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 users in the US alone, country dealers have offered a choice between full replacements or refunds.

Galaxy Note 7 proved promising in the first weeks of its release in the US, even out beating iPhone. However, users started coming back to their dealers complaining about overheating and stalling. Complaints came on the fore when a Cherokee Jeep caught fire due to a Galaxy Note 7 left charging in the vehicle. Luckily, the family was spared from the explosion. More shocking news came in after with 92 cases of battery overheating, 26 cases of burns, and 55 cases of property damages recorded including car and garage fires as of September 2016 in the US alone.

With a tirade of on-going complaints, just last month, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones were also banned from U.S. airlines when a unit overheated on a Southwest Airlines flight from Louisville International Airport to Baltimore. Australian airlines also followed suit following the recall of 50,000 units bought in the country.

To prevent further damages, Samsung has launched a worldwide mandatory software update for all Galaxy Note 7 users. Samsung says this update will automatically download and install, so users are encouraged to make this a priority. With this comprehensive update, users are advised to stop using the device while the update is being installed.

Samsung recognizes their faults with Tim Baxter, President of Samsung Electronics America, speaking for the company in a press release: "We did not meet the standard of excellence that you expect and deserve."

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fiasco has undeniably left a dent on consumer confidence with many users wanting refunds instead of replacements. As a flagship phone intended to rival against iPhone 7, Samsung has been losing almost $3bn due to court cases and product recalls.

Dr. Donald Sadoway, Professor of Materials Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hypothesizes that there must have been an on-going side reaction on the phone's mechanics apart from just charging and this, can only be due to manufacturing issues. Dr. Sadoway continues, "It's either a statistical fluke in the manufacturing process where there are some local hotspots or there are perhaps some metal shavings, some kind of shorting."

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