Samsung Announces Update That Will Brick All Galaxy Note 7 Devices in America, Verizon Refuses to Release It

Samsung has announced an update that will brick all Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in America. The Galaxy 7 smartphone was discontinued and recalled for being a fire hazard.

Consumer safety remains our highest priority and we’ve had overwhelming participation in the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program so far, with more than 93 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note7 devices returned. To further increase participation, a software update will be released starting on December 19th that will prevent U.S. Galaxy Note7 devices from charging and will eliminate their ability to work as mobile devices. If you have not yet returned your device, you should immediately power it down and contact your carrier to obtain a refund or exchange.

While Samsung thinks that bricking all Galaxy Note 7 devices is in the best interests of safety, not all carriers agree. Verizon is refusing to push the update out of concern for customers.


Today, Samsung announced an update to the Galaxy Note 7 that would stop the smartphone from charging, rendering it useless unless attached to a power charger. Verizon will not be taking part in this update because of the added risk this could pose to Galaxy Note 7 users that do not have another device to switch to. We will not push a software upgrade that will eliminate the ability for the Note 7 to work as a mobile device in the heart of the holiday travel season. We do not want to make it impossible to contact family, first responders or medical professionals in an emergency situation.

Sprint is planning to wait until after the holidays and will release the update on January 8th. AT&T is waiting until January 5th and T-Mobile will push the update on December 27th.

If you have a Galaxy Note 7, we strongly recommend you power it down and get rid of it as soon as possible.

Read More [Via Verge]