The last remaining Galaxy Note 7 phones that haven't been returned will finally be put out of their misery (or sold as refurbished devices).
Samsung's planning to issue a software update that'll disable remaining Note 7 phones from charging at all, according to a report from Yonhap News Agency.
SEE ALSO:Leaked photos show just how sexy Samsung's Galaxy S8 could lookSamsung will reportedly push the update out later this month, and it will cripple the remaining 3-4 percent of Note 7 phones still in use worldwide, mostly in South Korea.
Earlier this year, Samsung said 97 percent of Note 7 devices had been recalled in the U.S. and 96 percent worldwide.
The drastic move to snuff out the remaining Note 7 phones shouldn't come as a surprise. In December, Samsung partnered with U.S. carriers to release a software update that would not only disable the Note 7 from charging, but also prevent it from connecting to cellular networks.
Similar "bricking" software updates were rolled out in other regions last year, but many of them merely limited charging to 30 percent and didn't fully disable the phones.
With the launch of the Galaxy S8 in a few days, Samsung is no doubt looking to literally wipe out any lingering Note 7's and prevent any potential new explosions from dredging up bad memories.
But even with the S8 on the horizon, it's unclear how well some Note 7 holdouts, like those banding together in private Facebook groups like the Note 7 Alliance, will take the news.
As far as we can tell, many Note 7 holdouts are still finding ways to hack their phones and circumvent the software updates that would have bricked them. Mashable has reached out to several members of the Note 7 Alliance who are resisting the updates to see if any of them are finally ready to throw in the towel and move on to Samsung's new flagship. Why keep dragging this out?
The group's co-founder, Miguelina Betty, remained firm in her refusal to give up on her hacked Note 7, which she says still charges and works normally, even though she says she's planning to buy an S8.
"I am not ready to throw in the towel when the S8 comes out. Though the S8 is rumored to have a lot of awesome features, it still does not compare to the Note 7," Betty said over a Facebook Messenger exchange. "The S-Pen changes the game on so many levels and the S8 doesn’t have it."
"I could go on and on about how there is no phone that compares to the Note 7 right now but to push materialism aside, I have not yet been convinced that my Note 7 is a danger...I am fully aware it is recalled. I am an adult and I choose to keep and use my Note 7."
Betty said the only thing that could get her to give up on hacking her Note 7 would be the Note 8, which is expected to launch later this year. "I will consider exchanging it depending on what features the Note 8 provides."
TopicsAndroidSamsung
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