Galaxy Note 7 Recall: Samsung To Brick Unreturned Smartphones With Software Update

Update, 12:58PM EST: Verizon, the largest mobile carrier in the U.S., is refusing to release an update to Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices that would render the devices unusable.

"Verizon will not be taking part in this update because of the added risk this could pose to Galaxy Note 7 users that do not have another device to switch to,” the company said in a statement. “We will not push a software upgrade that will eliminate the ability for the Note 7 to work as a mobile device in the heart of the holiday travel season. We do not want to make it impossible to contact family, first responders or medical professionals in an emergency situation.”

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, its days might be numbered. The Korean manufacturer is shutting down (bricking) the devices in the United States, according to a report from the Verge.

The news comes by way of text message sent by US Cellular, a regional carrier in the U.S. The alert was reportedly sent to owners of Galaxy Note 7 devices and warns that an upcoming software update will render the phone unable to charge and therefore unusable.

“As of December 15th, Samsung will modify the software to prevent the Galaxy Note 7 from charging. The phone will no longer work,” the full text message read.

The message is the latest in what has been an ongoing effort by Samsung to limit the potential damages of the Galaxy Note 7. The phone has been plagued with issues—most notably its tendency to explode. Dozens of reports indicated the device would burst into flames and cause considerable harm to anything near it.

The issue led to a recall of the devices, which cost Samsung more than $5 billion and caused a massive drop off in phone sales.

Last month, the company pushed an update to devices that capped their charging capacity at 60 percent. The update also pestered users with a persistent pop-up message on screen indicating the device had been recalled and needed to be returned.

The text message US Cellular subscribers received marks the most severe attempt to get the phone out of the hands of users to date. Owers of the Galaxy Note 7 in Canada received a similar death sentence for their devices following an update that disabled Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as cellular and data service.

Samsung reported 85 percent of the active Galaxy Note 7 handsets had been recovered. Its most recent updates may be the final attempts to disable the devices still in the wild.

Samsung did not respond to request for comment on the update, nor did it disclose if a similar software push was expected to be made on other U.S. carriers.

The company is currently in the midst of an investigation into what caused the explosion problem, and a report is expected by the end of a the year. A recently released independent report suggested the problem with the Galaxy Note 7 was related to design not battery and all devices were at risk of eventually exploding.