The whole Note 7 overheating saga has been going on for some time, but it isn’t quite over yet.
Owners of the ill-fated handset should, by now, have taken notice of Samsung’s globall recall following numerous reports of the phablet overheating and, in some instances, exploding.
But if you live in the US and have thus far ignored the recall and clung to your Note 7, Samsung appears to be gearing up to force you to comply.
Related: Note 7 review
According to a report from The Verge, Samsung could be about to release an update for the Note 7 that will prevent it charging, thereby essentially disabling all the remaining handsets that are yet to be returned.
An image obtained by the site seems to show an alert which went out to at least one Note 7 owner on US Cellular, informing them of the impending update.
Samsung issued a global recall following reports of Note 7s exploding
The alert reads: “As of December 15th, Samsung will modify the software to prevent the Galaxy Note 7 from charging. The phone will no longer work.”
If the image is anything to go by then, it looks like remaining Note 7 owners only have until next week before their handset stops working completely.
There’s been no word from Samsung on this yet, so it’s unclear as to whether the image is legitimate. Even if it is, it also remains unclear whether the update will apply to all US owners.
Related: CES 2017
However, if Samsung is planning to roll out the Note 7-killing update, it seems likely customers on all US network providers will receive it.
According to Samsung as of November 4, 85% of Note 7s sold in the US had been returned, with around 285,000 handsets still out in the wild.
The South Korean company has previously rolled out updates that prevented the Note 7 from charging past 60% and introduced a pop-up message reminding owners to return their phone.
In Canada, the Note 7 has received an update that disables Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular and data connections, effectively making the phone useless to encourage owners to return their device.
It doesn’t look like there are any similar plans in place for the UK, but we will update you if any information becomes available.
WATCH: Note 7 review
Let us know if you’re in the US and have received a notification about the new measures.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
