After delaying for “consumer safety” reasons (uh, what?), Verizon has finally thrown the kill switch on the Galaxy Note7. The carrier is rolling out update MMB29M.N930VVRS3APL2 which prevents the Note7 from charging. The charging had already been hamstrung by Verizon and other carriers but to really, really get the point across that you need to turn this exploding phone in, now you can’t charge it.
Game over.
Verizon joins others like T-Mobile and AT&T who have already issued the no-charging update but it wasn’t without some controversy. Samsung issued the software update in December but Verizon said they wouldn’t issue it as they didn’t want consumers to be left without a phone. I, along with many other tech blogs and writers, bashed Verizon on this as the phone itself, which explodes when charging, is itself a danger to consumers. The sooner it is gone the better. Thankfully, and likely through a lot of FCC and CPSC pressure, they have released the update.
So here is what’s going to happen if you still have a Note7 on Verizon. First, why? Get rid of the damn thing! It’s a danger to you. Anyway, the update is going to be pushed to your device and
Samsung Galaxy Note7
automatically applied. Once it happens, you will get a warning that says your phone will no longer charge. Once your battery depletes, you have a very stylish door stop.
Verizon, like other carriers, seriously want you to turn this phone in. You can trade it in for other devices and Samsung is still giving you a $100 additional credit if you buy another Samsung device.
