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.

[Vendome]

Read the article

Really good stuff

[Leaning Right]

> Check your drawers for any Samsung (or different brand) phones that aren’t in use, as they are a potential fire hazard! <

In my neck of the woods, “drawers” refers to underwear. So just to be safe, I will check my furniture AND my underwear.

[Jonty30]

I leave my phone in a ceramic bowl when charging, just because of this possibility.

[OldWarBaby]

Well, sure, why wouldn’t I want to keep an electric firebomb in my pocket? I remember a few years ago, a video of a guy whose phone lit up in his pants pocket. He gave a new twist to “Mexican hat dance.”

[firebrand]

I thought this was a problem years ago and now it was all fixed.

[Jonty30]

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

[Dalberg-Acton]

"Check your drawers"

I didn't find anything (That's what SHE said!)
Sorry, couldn't resist making a joke.

[higgmeister]

So it’s not Samsung phones, just one Samsung phone.

[Vendome]

It’s a good number of phones and the gist of the article is if you have old phones that aren’t being charged, there is a real possibility of catastrophic failure, which is pretty standard for batteries of any kind, particularly lithium’s.

[roadcat]

... Samsung phones are far more likely to cause swollen/expanding battery issues than other brands of phones...

Gal asks as she looks at the guy's pants "Are you happy to see me?"

Guy responds "Look out, my Samsung phone is about to blow!"

What a mess for Samsung!

[Vendome]

I actually experienced this some 18635 batteries I use for my high powered flashlights.

some had swelled.

Tossed me and got new ones.

The issue seems to be how often they are used and charged.

[roadcat]

So it’s not Samsung phones, just one Samsung phone.

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.

[Vaduz]

Have two of them for the last four years no problem sounds like a fish story from Apple.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Saw this happen in a camera, a mini jumpstarted and a Chromebook. The starter and camera were stored in my truck so subject to wide variation of temperatures. The tell on the Chromebook was that the batters stopped taking a charge.

[mrmeyer]

I’ve own iphones for personal use and have a company issued one now. I’ve used Androids for personal use since 2015 that included an S9+, note 10+, note 20 and S22 ultra. All have been flawless.

[seowulf]

I leave my phone in a ceramic bowl when charging, just because of this possibility.

Leave it in the oven at night. An exploding battery might shatter a ceramic bowl.

[gitmo]

I had my wife check my drawers. She said they’re hot.

[ptsal]

Bkmk

[Falconspeed]

“...the Note 7 battery crisis.” Bad news, since the Note 7 is a sweet phone. My 2015 iPhone still good enough for me.