NEW ORLEANS – Samsung announced Tuesday that by morning, 500,000 new Galaxy Note 7 devices would be in stores.
Representatives said only 25 percent of people who bought the phone originally have returned the devices, even though an official recall was instated for the phone by the government less than a month after the phones began selling.
At least 35 Note 7 phones have caught fire, leading to the recall. Samsung ordered a global recall of the phones after the device’s lithium batteries sparked fires.
Airlines have even asked Note 7 owners to power the devices off and avoid charging them while flying. The FAA also asked travelers not to store the phones in checked baggage, either.
Samsung also announced a software update for the new batch of Note 7 devices.
Replacements will display a green battery icon on the status bar. The green icon shows customers have a new Note 7 device, with an unaffected battery.
Customers will have to call their local carrier to see if replacement phones are available.
