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Over 20% of Samsung Galaxy Note7 users in Singapore yet to exchange phones

SINGAPORE — More than 20 per cent of Galaxy Note7 users in Singapore who are eligible to exchange their phones have yet to do so, said Samsung Electronics Singapore on Wednesday (Sept 21).

An employee helps customers purchase a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7 new smartphone at its store in Seoul, South Korea, September 2, 2016. Photo: Reuters

An employee helps customers purchase a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7 new smartphone at its store in Seoul, South Korea, September 2, 2016. Photo: Reuters

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SINGAPORE — More than 20 per cent of Galaxy Note7 users in Singapore who are eligible to exchange their phones have yet to do so, said Samsung Electronics Singapore on Wednesday (Sept 21).

In a statement, the South Korean company urged its customers in Singapore to arrange to exchange their Note7s as soon as possible. This is in the interest of safety, it added.

And in what appears to be an about turn, Samsung Electronics Singapore will now implement the software upgrade that caps the capacity of the Note7 batteries at 60 per cent - a stop-gap measure to prevent overheating as the global recall on the device proceeds.

On Sept 14, the company’s local office here told TODAY that the software upgrade would not be introduced here because more than half of Note7 users in Singapore had already registered to exchange their phones.

The software upgrade will be rolled out in Singapore from Thursday (Sept 22).

This software upgrade will include indicators that allow users to verify if they have a new device by a green battery icon on the status bar, the Always On display screen, and the Power Off prompt screen, which can be accessed by long-pressing the power key.

Samsung will also be introducing an online verification site for Galaxy Note7 customers to verify if they are using the new Galaxy Note7. Singapore customers can key in their Galaxy Note7 IMEI number at http://www.samsung.com/sg/support from next Tuesday to check that they have the new Galaxy Note7 and to immediately participate in the exchange programme if they are holding the previous batch of the Galaxy Note7.

The device has been wildly popular with Android users who flocked to pre-order the device at the three major telcos, Samsung Experience stores and other major consumer electronics stores here. It was launched here on Aug 20.

However, soon after, reports emerged worldwide of the Galaxy Note7 catching fire while charging, with several people posting images and videos of their charred devices online.

On Sept 6, Samsung Electronics Singapore said it would be replacing all Galaxy Note7s purchased at authorised outlets here.

Nearly a week later, the South Korean firm announced that it would be rolling out the software update for users in South Korea to cap the capacity of Galaxy Note7 smartphone batteries at 60 per cent.

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