Samsung Note 7s rendered ‘useless’ with new update

Samsung will release a software update for its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone from 19 December that will stop all remaining devices in circulation from working. According to a report by The Verge, nearly three months after Samsung issued a global recall for its doomed flagship Android phablet, several handsets remain unaccounted for and are still being used by thousands of people in the us and several other countries across the globe. A $100 gift card will also be given for use in purchasing other Samsung devices.

The Galaxy Note 7 has been banned from such a large number of airports that many stalls have been set up as places for the devices to be deposited, as part of the refund or replace scheme laid out by Samsung. While all the major carriers have extended their support to Samsung, Verizon has refused to participate in the disabling.

But if you’re on Verizon, your phone will stay usable for a little longer: The carrier announced it will not push out the update and inconvenience customers without back-up phones during the busy holiday season.

The phone was recalled in October after reports of Note7 batteries overheating, causing fires and explosions.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is now officially dead.

It remains to be seen whether or not the company will be able to provide its mobile division with enough curved panels for the Galaxy S8 in case Samsung is really ditching flat screens next year.

A South Korean employee provides a replacement Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone at a telecommunications shop in Seoul on September 19, 2016. Originally, the Note 7’s has a 3500mAh battery but a 30% limit would only imply a usage of 1000mAh.

Unfortunately, as the Galaxy Note 7 ended up being discontinued, not many users became familiar with the feature.

Out of all the Samsung Note 7 handsets sold in the U.S., 93% of those have been returned. A recently surfaced Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 leak also revealed the company’s plan to beef up the internal storage options for its upcoming smartphones to a mammoth 256GB.