Samsung has officially “killed” the Galaxy Note 7 today, announcing that it is permanently stopping production of the device.
The company made a short statement today that said, “For the benefit of the consumers’ safety, we stopped sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 and have consequently decided to stop production.”
Yesterday, it announced it had asked partners to halt sales and exchanges of the device while it continued its investigation. In the wake of its launch in August, Samsung soon after recalled the defective Note 7s after they began overheating… and in some extreme cases catching on fire.
There have been at least five reports in the US of replacement phones catching fire. Samsung initially only decided to adjust its shipping volumes for the devices. However now it appears to have taken a step further and is ceasing production altogether.
Oculus issued a mandatory update for its mobile app that disabled Gear VR support on Note 7s. This move obviously came out of the concern that one could burst into flames while on a person’s face… ouch. The update was first reported on Reddit and later confirmed by Android Central.
“Customer safety is Oculus’ top priority,” reads a message now presented to Note 7 users. “Oculus is removing support for all Note 7 devices on the Oculus platform. Until further notice, Note 7 devices will not be compatible with the Gear VR.”
If you have a Note 7, it’s recommended that you not only keep it powered off and and return it to the carrier or store where it was purchased.