This morning Samsung announced that it was issuing a voluntary recall to address some 700-plus reports of malfunctioning top-loading washing machines, including one very unfortunate case of a broken jaw. It was the cherry on top of what has already been a rough few months for the hardware giant, driven mostly by the prolonged saga of the Galaxy Note 7.
Heading into the weekend, the company’s U.S. branch offered an update on the Note situation in an attempt to let everyone know that at least the recall is going reasonably well a little under a month since ending production of the troubled smartphone.
According to a spokesperson for the company, “As of today, nearly 85 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note7 devices have been replaced through the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program, with the majority of the participants opting to receive another Samsung smartphone.”
Of course, that means there are still a number of devices in the wild. As also reported this morning, the company’s New Zealand branch is addressing the issue by cutting the handset’s access to cellular services. Here in the States, Samsung will issue a software update that will “limit the phone’s ability to charge beyond 60 percent.”
The update, set to drop in the next couple of days, will also pop up a reminder to return the phone every time it’s powered on, charged or the screen is turned on, which may well annoy those clinging to the phone into giving it back once and for all.