Software fix offered for Hong Kong users of affected Galaxy Note 7 phones

Samsung released a software fix on Sunday for affected Galaxy Note 7 handsets to stop them from catching fire.

The software update is mandatory for 159 Note 7 devices bought by customers in Hong Kong and Macau between August 26 and September 1. The products are suspected to be affected by a faulty battery issue, and Samsung has urged all affected owners to come forward.

The South Korean technology giant said the maximum battery capacity of those handsets would be curtailed to 60 per cent as a “safety precaution”.

Hongkongers who purchased Galaxy Note 7 can get full refund from Samsung

For Note 7 devices not affected by overheating, an optional software update is to be available from Monday. Samsung stressed that these particular devices would not need replacing and could be “used with confidence”.

The company said customers who had further questions relating to Galaxy Note7 were welcome to visit one of its customer service centres in the city where staff would “address all concerns and ensure complete customer satisfaction”.

Sales of Samsung’s new 5.7-inch pen-based smartphone were suspended on September 2 – just two weeks after the flagship phone’s launch – after 35 cases of phones catching fire while charging were reported in the United States and Australia. No explosion cases have been reported in China and Hong Kong.

In total, fewer than 500 Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that were sold in Hong Kong and Macau between August 26 and September 1 were identified by Samsung to contain batteries supplied by the same manufacturer that produced the problematic component. But the company insisted that Note 7 smartphones purchased in Hong Kong and Macau since September 2 were “not affected”.