Samsung to cripple Galaxy Note7 replacement smartphones as total recall continues

YOU have until Saturday to return your Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone to its maker. That’s the date Samsung will cripple the handset.

A woman walks past an ad for Samsung, which has struggled to recall two version of its Galaxy Note7 smartphone. Picture: Sean Gallup.

AUSTRALIANS still haven’t handed in all potentially fiery Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones, prompting the smartphone maker to issue a second round of crippling software updates.

From Saturday, the South Korean technology giant will issue a mandatory software update to all replacement Note7 smartphones that were recalled in Australia on October 12.

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The software update, which will automatically be downloaded and installed on the phones, will ensure they can only charge to a maximum of 60 per cent, potentially preventing overheating and eruptions.

A shopper tries out a Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, now removed from sale. Picture: Lee Jin-man.

Samsung Electronics Australia mobile vice-president Richard Fink said consumers holding on to their Note7 devices, whether from the first or second batch, should “immediately complete a data backup and factory reset before powering down the device and returning it to their place of purchase”.

Note7 buyers are entitled to a replacement or refund for the device.

Samsung has yet to reveal just how many Note7 devices are still circulating in Australia after its two recalls, however.

In the first Note7 recall, almost one in five phones had yet to be returned within a month of the announcement.

The smartphone has been banned on Australian and international flights from most carriers, however, including Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Etihad.

Originally published as Samsung to cripple Galaxy Note7 replacement smartphones as total recall continues