500,000 safe Galaxy Note7 units arrive in the US

Even if you don’t follow tech, the chances are, you’ve heard a thing or two about the self-combusting Galaxy Note7. Shortly after its launch in mid-August, reports about the Note7 exploding and causing damage started to trickle in; before we knew it, Samsung launched an official recall program, including in the US. The whole process has been rather confusing with different procedures and programs in each country, but Note7 owners in the US will be happy to learn that 500,000 safe Galaxy Note7 units have finally arrived in the US.

The past few weeks have been hectic for Samsung, I would imagine. And it’s been hectic for Galaxy Note7 users around the world as well. In the US, Samsung has urged current Note7 users to return their devices and wait for new units to arrive, but things haven’t really been smooth. Though Samsung claimed that Note7 users would get the Galaxy J as a loaner phone, users have complained that in reality, carriers often did not have loaner devices ready in stock or were simply unaware of the program.

To add to this chaos, both FedEx and UPS have refused to ship Note7 units back to Samsung due to safety concerns. It makes sense since one single unit that its user has forgotten to power off could mean a potential fire hazard. This meant users had to walk into a carrier store and turn it in themselves. But as data have suggested, many users were unwilling to do that until new units were available.

Well, Samsung is now saying that 500,000 safe Note7 devices have been distributed across the US, so in the next few days, you can go to a store near you and see if they have new units in stock. Mind you, Samsung has sold a total of one million Galaxy Note7 units in the US that all need to be replaced but so far has only provided 500,000 safe units. That means you are only guaranteed to be able to exchange it on the condition that stores around you are stocked with new Note7 units.

The safe units will come in a box with a black square marking, and you will also see a green battery indicator on the status bar instead of a white one. Be sure to let us know in the comments if you get your hands on a safe Note7 unit in the coming days!

For those who are interested in getting a new Note7, Samsung is said to be re-launching the device in the US on October 21^st.

[press]

Samsung Galaxy Note7 U.S. Voluntary Recall Update

Samsung Will Begin Note7 Exchanges Nationwide No Later Than September 21, 2016

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J. – SEPTEMBER 20, 2016 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today announced that over 500,000 new Galaxy Note7 replacement devices have arrived in the U.S. and have been shipped to carrier and retail stores. New Galaxy Note7 devices will be available for exchange at retail locations nationwide tomorrow.

Software Update to Easily Identify New Galaxy Note7 Devices

Samsung also announced the rollout of a software update for new Note7 devices.

The software updates are being delivered in partnership with Carriers and will display a green battery icon on the status bar found on the top right hand of the screen. The green icon indicates that consumers have a new Galaxy Note7 with an unaffected battery.

Samsung and the U.S. CPSC have and continue to urge all consumers of Note7s sold prior to September 15 to power down their device. For those not heeding that advice or are still not aware of the recall notice, a software update will be pushed to all recalled devices. Once installed, users will be prompted with a safety notice that urges owners to power down and exchange their recalled device. The notice will appear every time a user powers up or charges their device.

For details on the software update visit www.samsung.com/us/note7recall.

“Working hand in hand with the CPSC, we are delivering as promised and moving quickly to educate consumers about the recall and make new Note7s available,” says Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America. “New devices will be in stores no later than tomorrow and we will continue to take the necessary actions to ensure users are powering down and immediately exchanging recalled devices.”

In conjunction with the CPSC, carriers and retailers, Samsung continues to maximize its reach to Note7 owners through multiple touchpoints, including direct communications, customer service, social media, marketing and in-store communications.

Consumers are encouraged to visit samsung.com/us/note7recall for carrier and retailer specific instructions on how and where to exchange their Note7 device.

[/press]