As of last night, you won’t be hearing any more warnings about the Samsung Galaxy Note7, while you’re waiting to board a plane. No, the handset didn’t suddenly stop catching fire, and is in fact still banned from all domestic and international flights.
The FAA released a statement saying that airlines and airports will no longer be required to make pre-boarding announcements warning passengers about the prohibition against the Note7. The aviation authority explained the decision in light of vast public awareness of the ban and the mostly successful recall of the handset.
Samsung said more than 96% of all Note7 devices in the US have been returned and the company is taking further steps, together with carriers, to ensure that remaining devices get returned. Recently, Samsung pushed out a firmware update to the Note7 in the US that prevents the battery of the remaining devices from charging.
The Galaxy Note7 was officially banned from flights by the FAA and the DoT last year, with numerous other aviation agencies and airlines doing the same around the world. Samsung promised to release the conclusions of its investigation into what prompted the Note7 to catch fire at the end of last year, though few details have been released so far.