Living Dangerously

    Nicholas Headley

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    Living+Dangerously

    Samsung says that nearly 85% of Note 7’s have now been returned in the US, meaning there are around 285,000 phones still unaccounted for.

    To get those remaining phones back, Samsung basically plans to annoy customers into returning them. It is issuing a software update that will make a recall message pop up every time someone turns on the screen of their Note 7.

    The update will also limit the phone’s battery life to 60 percent. It is not clear if that’s a preventative measure to reduce the likelihood of the phone catching fire as well, but it’ll certainly make the phone less desirable to hang onto.

    It sounds as though the update will be going out across all US carriers. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have all confirmed that they will be issuing the update.

    “We remain focused on collecting the outstanding Galaxy Note 7 phones in the market,” Samsung says in a statement. The update, it says, is meant to “further drive participation” in making returns.

    While nothing about this recall can exactly be called good news for Samsung, it does say that “the majority” of people returning the Note 7 have opted to receive another Samsung phone. Though Samsung, and the carriers, have been offering incentives to make that happen.

    Similar software updates have been released around the globe already, including in South Korea, Europe, and Australia, all limiting the Note 7’s battery to 60 percent. In New Zealand, carriers are even preventing the phone from connecting to their wireless networks.

    The Note 7 was fully recalled nearly a month ago now, and Samsung has said it will cease production of the device. If you still have one: seriously, go and return it.