Yesterday, Samsung announced that it was releasing an update to Galaxy Note7 devices in Canada that would prevent them from connecting to a mobile network. Today, the company confirmed that there would be a similar update in the United States, which would prevent it from charging.
Verizon isn"t having it though, announcing that it won"t be participating in the update. In the carrier"s statement, it said the following:
We will not push a software upgrade that will eliminate the ability for the Note7 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.
It"s certainly an interesting reason that Verizon gives. After all, it refers to the "holiday travel season", which is odd when you can"t even travel with a Note7, at least on a plane. It also mentions the ability to make calls in an "emergency situation", seemingly ignoring the fact that the device itself might have caused said emergency.
Samsung"s Galaxy Note7 has been recalled for a few months now after the device started catching fire. And then after the company began sending out replacement units, those started doing the same. All parties involved agree that the majority of users have turned in their possibly explosive devices, but today"s update is an effort to get ahold of the few stragglers.