Samsung phones blowing up at pandemic rates, urging return of removable batteries (Samsung responds)

Phone Arena ^ | October 8, 2022 | Marin Filipov

[Vendome]

This is a public service announcement! Check your drawers for any Samsung (or different brand) phones that aren't in use, as they are a potential fire hazard!

 

In case you follow the smartphone industry, particularly on YouTube and Twitter, you'd know that there have been recent reports of Samsung phones that are … "blowing up", or at least about to. 

Despite trying, in the end Samsung wasn't able to handle the Note 7 battery crisis. The company recalled the defective phones and released a fresh batch of Note 7s (after having changed its battery supplier). The issues persisted, and the Note 7 was eventually officially discontinued less than two months after its official launch.

But this time, the case is slightly different... The recently reported battery issues seem to be affecting any Samsung phone (as recent as 18 months old) that isn't used/charged regularly. So, technically anyone could be affected, which is why I started this story with a warning!

 

"...this problem isn't exclusive to Samsung phones. However, what's rather concerning is that it turns out that Samsung phones are far more likely to cause swollen/expanding battery issues than other brands of phones - Android or Apple-made.

Yes, I've worked at a third party service up until a few months ago and I can't remember a single S or Note series without this issue. Usually it was due to intense usage or even slight torsion (wearing it in the pocket of your jeans) or if you changed the temperature a lot (taxi drivers were regulars) oddly enough we never had recurring problems with third party battery packs, so definitely a problem there. And it's not just the phones, tablets have the same habit, especially the A series. About 90% of the swollen battery devices were from Samsung.

 

Sorin Stefan Cosma on YouTube

What to do if your Samsung phone’s battery is expanding and about to blow up

With all the nerdy explaining out of the way, here’s what you can do in case you notice that your old Samsung Galaxy phone looks somewhat bloated:

• Don’t charge your phone! Attempting to charge a damaged battery is never a good idea and can lead to an explosion/fire
• Don’t attempt to separate the battery from the body of the phone unless you are adequately prepared and equipped to do so
• Get a fireproof bag (about $10 on Amazon) in case you need to continue storing the device - mind you, “fireproof bags” aren’t really fireproof, but rather heat-resistant
• In case we’re talking about a relatively new device, you could try to contact Samsung to arrange a collection and an exchange - otherwise you can give up your old device for recycling (never ship it without appropriate packaging if it's already showing signs of battery swelling)

If you’d like to find out more about the technicalities of swollen batteries on different devices, you can check out this iFixit article, which also goes into detail about how to store, remove, and deal with a bloated Li-ion battery. You can also learn about proper battery use and care to ensure the safety and efficiency of your Samsung Galaxy phone on Samsung’s website.

[Rurudyne]

Hey, don’t leave your phone (or tablet etc) in your hot car.

[Paal Gulli]

Energy resents being stored. There's pressure among electronics manufacturers to produce electronic storage batteries with ever increasing capacity. Get too close to the bleeding edge and this is what happens.

Man in serious condition after electronic cigarette blows up in his face

Electric Vehicles exploding after water damage from Hurricane…

From Consumer Reports SIX YEARS AGO:

Why Lithium-Ion Batteries Still Explode, and What's Being Done to Fix the Problem

Obviously, not enough.

[frank ballenger]

Imagine a luckless guy.

Buys an EV car and is driving it home when his phone starts to expand and feel red hot. He panics and turns to pull over
when his EV battery starts to burn up.

Unrelated stories with graphic video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mj3tHG-rWA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7N6IAtWUFk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mj3tHG-rWA

[frank ballenger]

I am a Luddite and do not own a cell phone. My burner phone in the past started to swell up when the battery expanded. No fire but I tossed it. Now I wonder if it was worse than I assumed. Also “burner” phone for criminals and myself have a double entendre meaning if phones start to ignite.

[higgmeister]

Not one Samsung phone, many. From the article:

And it's not just the phones, tablets have the same habit, especially the A series. About 90% of the swollen battery devices were from Samsung.

Yes, I've worked at a third party service up until a few months ago and I can't remember a single S or Note series without this issue. Usually it was due to intense usage or even slight torsion (wearing it in the pocket of your jeans) or if you changed the temperature a lot (taxi drivers were regulars) oddly enough we never had recurring problems with third party battery packs, so definitely a problem there. And it's not just the phones, tablets have the same habit, especially the A series. About 90% of the swollen battery devices were from Samsung.

Sorin Stefan Cosma on YouTube

OK, so I read the article and found that it was phones damaged by abuse and improper handling.   Too funny!

[Paladin2]

I replaced the battery in an iPhone 5S last year as it was “blowing” the screen off the case.

No heat, but also no troubles so far.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Bookmark

[lysie]

4 later

[TexasGator]

“What they need to do is go for OLED screens, because screens are the biggest reasons for big batteries.”

Been OLED for years.

[Jonty30]

I didn’t know that.
My bad.
They still need to fix that.

[Vendome]

Oh totally....

[TexasGator]

An active processor can consume 3x the energy of the screen

[Cold Heart]

Question, what happens to lithium batteries when exposed to EMF, solar or man made?

[Vendome]

Nothing good....

[cableguymn]

Just a random thought..

what happens when a EV battery swells up?

[roadcat]

OK, so I read the article and found that it was phones damaged by abuse and improper handling. Too funny!

Yeah, so funny that you said it was one phone, when it was MANY.

[Vendome]

Fire....

Batrees is batrees...

Particularly if they’s lithium...

[roadcat]

OK, so I read the article and found that it was phones damaged by abuse and improper handling. Too funny!

And intense use, wearing it in your pocket, or changing temperatures while driving, is not abuse or improper handling. That is expected use, and Samsung is doing a poor job of creating devices that can't handle usage. Samsung builds them in their commie Chinese factories, and they're dangerous phones.

[Cold Heart]

So, more than just my TV not working (which in itself would be OK)

[Vaduz]

So much for high tech huh.