Yesterday we learned that Samsung Canada will soon disable service on all remaining Galaxy Note 7 units in that country in an effort to get them returned. Now it looks like the same thing might soon happen in the US.
One Galaxy Note 7 owner on US Cellular claims to have gotten a text from their carrier that reads, “As of Dec. 15, Samsung will modify the software to prevent the Galaxy Note 7 from charging. The phone will no longer work.” Samsung declined to comment on this text, says The Verge, while US Cellular did not respond.
While still unconfirmed, it’s certainly possible that Samsung will update the remaining Note 7s in the US to disable them. We’ve already seen Note 7s in New Zealand get blocked from mobile networks, and soon the same thing will happen in Australia. Samsung Canada is planning to limit the battery charging capability of Note 7s as well as disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular connectivity.
What makes this rumored US update different is that it sounds like Samsung will update the Note 7s and block them from taking a charge. That’d be the most drastic move from Samsung yet, effectively turning any remaining Note 7s in the US into expensive paperweights.
If this update is indeed rolling out on December 15, we should get some sort of official announcement from Samsung soon. Stay tuned.