Samsung issued an alert to customers on Monday, asking users to immediately turn off their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones — which have been spontaneously catching fire.
The unprecedented move comes one day after Samsung halted production of the dangerously glitchy devices.
In a corporate statement, Samsung said it will also “ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7” while it investigates the cause of the fires.
It also said, “Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device.”
It’s a major setback for the South Korean electronics manufacturer.
Samsung released the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 7 device in August in anticipation of Apple’s new iPhone 7. But customers immediately started complaining that their phones were catching fire.
The company explained that faulty lithium-ion batteries were overheating the device and causing it to ignite. In early September, Samsung recalled 2.5 million devices worldwide.
