In what could be Samsung's way to ensure the safety of its customers, the company could remotely deactivate recalled Galaxy Note 7 units that have not been exchanged for new ones after Sept. 30.
Samsung launched a worldwide recall of the Galaxy Note 7 early this month, amid reports that certain units of the smartphone caught fire due to exploding batteries. While the faulty batteries can be found in only a very small percentage of Galaxy Note 7 devices, Samsung is keeping the safety of its customers in mind when it launched the global recall.
A Redditor from France, in a post on the popular online forum, reveals that Samsung is definitely looking out for its customers. In the post, the Redditor said that all Galaxy Note 7 owners in France have received calls from Samsung and about how they will be receiving new units of the smartphone by mail by Sept. 19.
The package will include a replacement device of the color that they chose for the Galaxy Note 7, a Gear VR headset that is a preorder gift for customers in France and a prepaid parcel, which will allow the Galaxy Note 7 owners to send back the recalled units without having to pay for anything.
While Galaxy Note 7 owners in the United States bemoaned in the thread's comments section on how easy it is for customers in France to have their smartphones replaced, the real news in the Redditor's post is that Samsung is telling Galaxy Note 7 owners that all recalled units of the smartphone will be remotely deactivated after Sept. 30.
It is unclear whether the remote deactivation of unreplaced Galaxy Note 7 units after Sept. 30 only applies to France or if it applies to all parts of the world. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that Samsung is willing to go to such an extreme measure of remotely deactivating unexchanged Galaxy Note 7 units in order to ensure the safety of customers.
There has been so far no reported injuries or deaths related to an exploding battery of the Galaxy Note 7, and Samsung will most likely want to keep it that way.
The company launched a dedicated page for the Galaxy Note 7 exchange program upon its announcement, and Samsung has now updated the page with a short FAQ section. While there is no mention on the page regarding remote deactivation for customers in the United States, Samsung repeatedly said that Galaxy Note 7 owners should exchange their smartphones for new ones as soon as they can, and to power down devices that have not yet been replaced.
UPDATE: Samsung revealed that it is not planning any remote deactivations for the Galaxy Note 7, with all the official guidance related to the worldwide recall program to be published on its website.
