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.

[minnesota_bound]

The reason cell phones are sealed is to cause people to buy a new phone for several hundred dollars instead of replacing a $10 battery.

Plus the gov’t and google and apple and apps can track you even though you think the phone is off.

[minnesota_bound]

Rest easy your electric will not have this issue.... WHOOSH!!
Home gone.

[cableguymn]

we’ll I’ll be dipped..

it’s true