Yahoo News Verizon refuses to push out Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 kill switch
Just when it looked like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was finally going the way of the dodo, the biggest mobile carrier in the U.S. has stepped in to give the explosive handset's loyalists another excuse to cling to it a little longer.
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Shortly after Samsung announced its plan to issue a software update to permanently disable any remaining Note 7's active on U.S. networks, Verizon issued its own news release declaring that the carrier will not support the effort. The statement, which was attributed to Vice President of Global Corporate Communications Jeffrey Nelson, voiced the carrier's concerns for the well-being of stubborn Note 7 holdouts:
It's important to note (no pun intended) that Samsung Canada's announcement regarding the Note 7's shutdown addressed these concerns directly. Canadian holdouts will have their mobile network services completely shut off — but the updates there won't brick the phone entirely, leaving the ability to dial 9-1-1 intact.
Responses from the other major U.S. carriers have been more supportive.
Sprint issued a newsroom statement in support of Samsung's update, urging Note 7 users on the network to immediately power off the device and take the proper steps to replace it through the carrier's exchange program.
A T-Mobile rep responded to Mashable with a statement supporting Samsung's software update as well:
In lieu of an official newsroom release, an AT&T spokesperson told Mashable it will soon send Note 7 owners this statement in the form of an SMS message:
Mashable also reached out to US Cellular for its stance on the matter and will update the story upon receiving a response.
(This story was updated to reflect T-Mobile's statement at 4:15 p.m. EST, then later to reflect AT&T's message at 4:35 p.m. EST).
