It’s been almost two months since Samsung discontinued the Galaxy Note 7 and issued a worldwide recall of the device, but the drama surrounding this fiasco is still not over. Quite the contrary, in fact. Namely, the South Korean tech giant has just confirmed plans to start bricking remaining units of the said phablet in the United States. In exactly ten days, the company will start rolling out an update which will prevent the phone from charging and eliminate its ability to connect to cellular networks. This decision marks Samsung’s final effort to prompt users to take advantage of the Galaxy Note 7 refund and replacement program and return their potentially dangerous devices.
Now, in an unexpected turn of events, Verizon just issued a statement that it won’t distribute the said update. As Jeffrey Nelson, the Vice President of Global Corporate Communications at Verizon explained, most Verizon customers who bought the Galaxy Note 7 have already returned their phones. With that in mind, Verizon is refusing to participate in Samsung’s upcoming bricking endeavors because it fears added risks this move could pose to its customers who don’t have another device at hand. Namely, Verizon will respect the decision of its users who opt to keep the Galaxy Note 7 despite all warnings, because the alternative is to potentially eliminate their ability to communicate amidst the holiday travel season. As Nelson explained it, the largest wireless carrier in the country isn’t thrilled with the idea of preventing its remaining Galaxy Note 7 users from contacting family, public safety services, and medical professionals in emergency situations.
Now, the wording of this statement does leave enough room for the possibility of Verizon distributing Samsung’s final update for the Galaxy Note 7 at a later date or in another form. However, no further details on the wireless carrier’s plans were provided by Nelson. Instead, the company’s VP of Global Corporate Communications reminded Verizon customers that they’re still eligible for a full refund or a replacement device accompanied by an additional $100 reimbursement. So, it looks like Samsung’s final recall plans for the Galaxy Note 7 won’t go as smoothly as the company might have initially hoped.