Samsung is working on an OTA update to temporarily fix Note 7 battery issues

Samsung is urging everyone to return the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. More than 70 incidents have already been reported in the US alone. The recall has officially expanded to Canada as well. It’s a very serious issue. In the meantime, Samsung is working on a temporary fix for the devices still in the wild.

Samsung is working on an OTA update for the Note 7 that should put a band-aid on the battery issues. Since this is a hardware problem, there’s not a lot Samsung can do with a software update, but they’ve figured out a way to make the device safer. The update will limit the capacity of the battery to 60%. You won’t be able to fully charge the device. Theoretically, this keeps the phone in the safe zone.

Obviously, this isn’t a permanent solution, but hopefully, it can prevent future incidents. With millions of Note 7’s out in the world it’s very unlikely that every unit gets returned to Samsung. This update and the rumor of them disabling devices completely will hopefully make them safer. Replacement Note 7’s will be ready later this month. In the meantime, we wait for this update.

[via Koreatimes]