Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners can now start exchanging their smartphones as Samsung confirmed that over 500,000 replacement devices have already arrived in the United States on Tuesday. The devices are now shipped to different carriers and retail stores nationwide to be available for exchange starting Wednesday.
Aside from a new battery cell, Samsung reportedly rolled out its newest software update on all the replacement devices which update features a green battery icon on the top right hand of the screen. This will let users know that the Galaxy Note 7 device's battery is safe and unaffected from the previously reported explosive tendencies.
Additionally, Samsung will push an automatic software update that would prompt a safety notification to users who have not turned off and exchanged their Galaxy Note 7. This applies to those who purchased their smartphones earlier than Sept. 15. The update is suggested to notify the user to power down and exchange the smartphone which will appear every time the Samsung device is being charged and turned on.
Meanwhile, some consumers were able to get their Samsung replacement devices as early as Tuesday according to a Verizon Communications Inc. spokeswoman, The Wall Street Journal reported. The company has also started taking Galaxy Note 7 orders again after Samsung halted the sales of the device from different markets across the world. Verizon claimed that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has already approved the new Samsung smartphones for purchases and exchanges according to the official Verizon website.
Samsung started the Galaxy Note 7 global recall following reports that the device has overheating tendencies that may pose risk to the owners. The company advised that the replacement devices will be available by no later than Sept. 21. However, there was no mention about when the remaining batch of devices would arrive.
