Category: Verizon

If you haven’t figured it out, the Samsung Galaxy Note7 is dangerous, it has been recalled and basically every mobile carrier has thrown a Samsung-built kill switch update that renders the phone useless.  Verizon rolled out an update a couple of weeks ago that prevented the phablet from charging but some Note7 owners never updated to it as they figured out how to get around it.  So, meet Verizon Note7 kill switch 2.

Verizon has begun re-routing calls made from the Note7 to customer service.  This is on every call you make with the exception of 911.  They are serious about you getting that phone back to them.  Oh, and if that isn’t enough to get you to turn in the phone at your local Verizon store, don’t be surprised if you see an $800 charge on an upcoming bill for the phone.  Now to be fair I question how they could get away with this but the point here is that Verizon is making a statement: Turn in your Note7.  Now.

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.

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon have all issued statements regarding the Galaxy Note 7 recall and what their customers can do who have the devices.  Overall they are trying to work with their customers as quickly and as effeciently as possible.  T-Mobile and Verizon have already indicated that customers with Note 7’s can return them for a full refund without any restocking fees while AT&T will clarify what their customers can do later today and Sprint is offering “similar” device exchanges for customers.   Here are the details from each carrier:

AT&T

Samsung has notified us that they have identified a battery cell issue in certain Galaxy Note7s. They have asked all retailers, including AT&T, to stop selling the device. We are in the process of determining the exchange process for our customers and how they can replace their current Note7 as quickly as possible. We will have more information later today.

Sprint

Sprint has suspended sales of Samsung Galaxy Note7 immediately following Samsung’s announcement to discontinue sales of the device globally.

We are working closely with Samsung to ensure those customers who already have purchased the device are taken care of. For those customers that previously purchased the Note 7 we will offer them a similar device until the issue is resolved. Customers should go to a nearby Sprint store to exchange their Note 7 device.

If have a Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge on the Verizon network, there is a new software update waiting for you.  The new build of Android Marshmallow addresses some call quality issues as well as enabling the FM radio built into the device.  Specifically, you are looking for Verizon’s software version MMB29M.G935VVRU2APG5 for those keeping score at home and it is currently rolling out to customers.  You can manually check for the update by going to Settings>System Updates.  It is a small one as Verizon is allowing users to download it over LTE but you can expect about a 10 minute download and another 10-15 minutes to install and reboot your device.

For those of you who are Verizon customers who have the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, take a few minutes to check your phone for updates.  Verizon has started rolling out the June Android security update to the device and given it is a sub-200MB download, it should be available to pretty much everyone at this point.  The updated build is version MMB29M.N910VVRU2CPF3 for those keeping score at home.

Good news this morning for those of you who have the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge on Verizon.  The Android Marshmallow update for the device has been released by the carrier and is starting to roll out to devices now.  The update you are looking for is build VRU2CPD1 for those keeping score at home and it comes in at just shy of 1GB in size.  That means you will have to download the update while your device is connected to Wi-Fi.  After the download, it will take about 20-30 minutes to upgrade your Note Edge to Marshmallow and will require a reboot.  As always, I recommend you have a backup of any important files on your phone prior to starting the upgrade.