Samsung To Transmit Death ROM Update To Brick U.S. Galaxy Note 7 On December 19th
In order to combat these situations and prevent future fire-related incidents from happening with the smartphones, Samsung officially announced today that it will effectively “brick” remaining devices in the United States with an over-the-air (OTA) update. The OTA update will be distributed starting November 19th to all U.S. carriers within 30 days.
The update will make it impossible for the Galaxy Note 7 to charge and it will no longer be able to connect to a cellular network. So even if you have a fully topped off battery before the update and decide to continue surfing the web via Wi-Fi, your battery will eventually drain leaving you with a useless device.
Samsung reports that 93 percent of Galaxy Note 7 devices sold in the U.S have been returned. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), roughly one million Galaxy Note 7s were sold within the U.S. while it was on the market, leaving about 70,000 devices still out there in the wild.
Samsung writes:
Since the affected devices can overheat and pose a safety risk, we are asking consumers with a Galaxy Note7 to power it down and contact the carrier or retail outlet where they purchased their device. Consumers who have a Galaxy Note7 device can now exchange their phone for another Samsung smartphone, or receive a refund, under the terms of the expanded U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program.
At this point, there is really no reason to hold on to a Galaxy Note 7. Besides it being a fire hazard, it’s not supported and it will soon turn into an expensive paperweight. So please, if you haven’t already returned your Galaxy Note 7 to its point of purchase, do so immediately!
