Samsung will start a software upgrade next week to limit the battery charging cap of Galaxy Note 7 to 60 percent which is created to stop explosions.
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“We plan to carry out the Galaxy Note 7 software update starting from 2 a.m. on September 20”, Samsung said, adding that the measure would only apply to phones that hadn’t been exchanged for new ones in a recall planned for September 19.
The company has announced it will recall about 2.5 million smartphones of this model, with customers receiving temporary replacement phones provided by the firm until it releases new Note 7s.
According to the Associated Press, Samsung ran a large front page advert on one of the largest South Korean newspapers confirming the software update that will roll out in the country on 20 September. So you’ll experience significantly less battery life when using your Note 7, but at the same time it avoids the whole issue of the handset exploding in your hand or pocket. As such, it is sending out a new update to try and make the batteries slightly more safe.
It’s still unclear whether the software update will be extended to users in other countries like the USA and Canada.
In what is being seen as the biggest blow to the Samsung brand image, the recent cases of Note 7 explosions have cost Samsung very dearly. This software update, upon installation in the device, will cap the battery’s recharge capacity at 60 percent only which will hopefully prevent the phone from overheating. While in the United States, Samsung is giving out $25 gift cards to those who continue using a Samsung device even after returning their Note 7 for replacement.
Samsung offered free pizza as an apology to workers at mobile carrier shops who have been handling the unprecedented recall.
The software update appears to be a last-ditch effort to contain the crisis.
The fire was the latest of a series of incidents involving Samsung’s latest phone. “It is taking a desperate measure”.
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The Galaxy Note 7 launch has pretty much been a disaster for Samsung, with dozens of reports about phones exploding and injuring users.
