Here's how the Note 7 mandatory battery limiting update will work

Although Samsung has now begun sending out replacement Galaxy Note 7 handsets to consumers, many people still haven’t turned their handsets in to the recall program. To ensure consumer safety and persuade the stragglers to return their Note 7s, Samsung will be issuing a mandatory update to limit the battery charging capacity to just 60 percent.

The mandatory update was originally reported on a week ago and has been spotted in South Korea since. The update will be making its way out to Australian customers tomorrow, and will probably arrive other regions very shortly. The actual release timings will depend on the carrier networks, but it looks like there’s a joint effort being made to push the update out quickly.

“We are working to identify and execute all appropriate measure to protect customer safety … We continue to urge customers who still have an affected Galaxy Note7 to complete a data backup and factory reset before powering down the device and returning it to their place of purchase to see a replacement Galaxy Note7 or alternate remedy of their choice.” – Richard Fink, Samsung Electronics Australia mobile vice president

Once released, the update will automatically download and install on affected Galaxy Note 7 handset, after altering the user to the update of course. As well as limiting battery capacity to just 60 percent, customers will be alerted to turn off their device and return it to their place of purchase. According to Samsung, this alert will appear every time the user reboots their phone or connects it to a charger. This repeated reminder will probably persuade a few people to return their phones, just to avoid the irritating message.

This is a separate update to the one that will issued to replacement Galaxy Note 7 devices. This other update will exchange the normal white battery icon for a green icon, so that users can identify that the smartphone is safe to use.

Note 7 owners in Australia who haven’t yet exchanged their devices will spot the update appear at some point tomorrow, but we’ll have to wait and see if or when it arrives for the rest of the world. Have you exchanged your Galaxy Note 7 yet?