A new update will finally kill the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 once and for all

It's time to let the Note 7 go.
 By 
Raymond Wong
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The last remaining Galaxy Note 7 phones that haven't been returned will finally be put out of their misery (or sold as refurbished devices).

Samsung's planning to issue a software update that'll disable remaining Note 7 phones from charging at all, according to a report from Yonhap News Agency.

Samsung will reportedly push the update out later this month, and it will cripple the remaining 3-4 percent of Note 7 phones still in use worldwide, mostly in South Korea.

Earlier this year, Samsung said 97 percent of Note 7 devices had been recalled in the U.S. and 96 percent worldwide.

The drastic move to snuff out the remaining Note 7 phones shouldn't come as a surprise. In December, Samsung partnered with U.S. carriers to release a software update that would not only disable the Note 7 from charging, but also prevent it from connecting to cellular networks.

Similar "bricking" software updates were rolled out in other regions last year, but many of them merely limited charging to 30 percent and didn't fully disable the phones.

With the launch of the Galaxy S8 in a few days, Samsung is no doubt looking to literally wipe out any lingering Note 7's and prevent any potential new explosions from dredging up bad memories.

But even with the S8 on the horizon, it's unclear how well some Note 7 holdouts, like those banding together in private Facebook groups like the Note 7 Alliance, will take the news.

As far as we can tell, many Note 7 holdouts are still finding ways to hack their phones and circumvent the software updates that would have bricked them. Mashable has reached out to several members of the Note 7 Alliance who are resisting the updates to see if any of them are finally ready to throw in the towel and move on to Samsung's new flagship. Why keep dragging this out?

The group's co-founder, Miguelina Betty, remained firm in her refusal to give up on her hacked Note 7, which she says still charges and works normally, even though she says she's planning to buy an S8.

"I am not ready to throw in the towel when the S8 comes out. Though the S8 is rumored to have a lot of awesome features, it still does not compare to the Note 7," Betty said over a Facebook Messenger exchange. "The S-Pen changes the game on so many levels and the S8 doesn’t have it."

"I could go on and on about how there is no phone that compares to the Note 7 right now but to push materialism aside, I have not yet been convinced that my Note 7 is a danger...I am fully aware it is recalled. I am an adult and I choose to keep and use my Note 7."

Betty said the only thing that could get her to give up on hacking her Note 7 would be the Note 8, which is expected to launch later this year. "I will consider exchanging it depending on what features the Note 8 provides."

Topics Android Samsung

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Raymond Wong

Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.

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