Samsung appears to be planning to permanently disable Galaxy Note 7 units in the US with an update that would prevent the recalled phone from charging.
"As of December 15th, Samsung will modify the software to prevent the Galaxy Note 7 from charging. The phone will no longer work," according by The Verge.
But Samsung declined to comment, and US Cellular did not respond to a request for comment. It's not clear whether "Samsung Galaxy Note 7" will be disabled across the major US carriers as well, but it seems likely that'll be the case. In the past, updates disabling Note 7 features have rolled out across Verizon, AT&T, and other carriers within a matter of days.
"Samsung" began setting Note 7s in the US last month, placing precautions that stop the phone from charging past 60 percent. The update also made a pop-up appear every time the phone's screen was turned on, reminding the owner that the phone has been recalled and needed to be returned.
"Samsung" began detailing more severe measures to get the final phones out of customers' hands. In Canada, it's rendering the phone mostly useless by disabling "Bluetooth and Wi-Fi," as well as cell and data service it won't be able to make a call or access the internet in any way.
Samsung takes the final step to making the phone entirely unusable. It's still offering Note 7 owners the ability to fully return the phone or exchange it for another Samsung device. "Samsung" first recalled the Note 7 in mid-September after it was discovered that multiple units were catching fire; it then recalled replacement Note 7 units in mid-October, after it was discovered that they too were prone to overheating.
Completely disabling the phone seems to be "Samsung" last-ditch effort to either recover the remaining devices or remove what risk they still pose to consumers.
