Samsung launches Note 7 IMEI recall checker, while Canadians begin receiving replacements

Forget the unofficial IMEI tools that have been floating around the web to check whether your Galaxy Note 7 features a defective battery or not. As promised, Samsung has just launched its own official tool to see if your device has been recalled or not.

It’s simple enough to use, just head on over to the official Samsung recall page and tap in your handset’s IMEI, which you can find in the phone’s settings menu or on the retail box. If your device is due for a recall, the webpage will display a notification to tell you to turn your phone off immediately. You should also be able to check your IMEI through the Samsung+ app that comes bundled with the Note 7. Remember through, Samsung recommends that everyone who purchased their handset before September 15th should send the phone back for a replacement.

Given that only 130,000 phones have been returned in the US so far, this tool might help you to make up your mind as to whether you want to begin the recall process. After all, Samsung has now confirmed that replacements handsets will be arriving in the country no later than September 21st.

Speaking of which, Canadian customers are reporting that they have already begun receiving their recall replacement handsets. Interestingly, customers say that there isn’t the reported “Blue S” sticker located on the box to easily identify that these models have a safer battery in them. Although, Samsung has stuck a little black square on the box, as expected.

Before the Note 7 recall, some 21,953 Galaxy Note 7s had been sold in Canada, so it shouldn’t take Samsung too much time to replace the recalled units. However, the company has some estimated 2.5 million handsets to replace worldwide, which is going to take considerably longer.