SEOUL-Samsung urged South Korean consumers Saturday to stop using its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, following a similar warning by the USA consumer agency and several airlines who fear battery explosions.
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The call from the world’s largest smartphone maker comes amid reports of the phones catching fire.
In a statement released on Friday, the consumer watchdog agency instructed Note 7 owners to power down their devices as they worked with Samsung to recall the phones. The four main USA wireless carriers are also participating, offering those who purchased the phone the option to get a refund, exchange for a different phone, swap for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge or get a replacement Note 7 from Samsung.
Passengers were also urged not to put the phones in checked bags.
The agency notes that it is working with Samsung to “formally announce an official recall of the devices, as soon as possible”.
Samsung’s Note 7s are being pulled from shelves in 10 countries, including South Korea and the U.S., just two weeks after it was launched. Under an official recall the government would block the sale of Note in the USA until the CPSC deems the replacements are safe for use.
Scandinavian Airlines said Saturday that it has prohibited passengers from using the Galaxy Note 7 on its flights because of concerns about fires.
Since the recall, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advised passengers not to use or charge the device on planes.
The total of 2.5 million phones will be taken back to remove the faulty battery. In one case, a family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported a Galaxy 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.
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It is the first large-scale recall of one of Samsung’s top of the range phones.
