By now, most of the average phone-buying public has forgotten about the whole Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. That thing where many Note 7s had batteries that failed (sometimes dangerously), leading to a recall and replacement program, which was followed again by the new units failing just as spectacularly.
Samsung, carriers and local regulatory bodies have gone to extensive lengths to make Galaxy Note 7s unusable. It started with a software push that nagged you to return your phone. Then a software update that limited your battery charge — and another that limited it further. Then the carriers stepped in and started to block SIMs that were used in a Note 7. Eventually Samsung issued software updates that made it difficult or impossible to charge the phone.
Still, people who love their Note 7 held on tight (hopefully not too tight) and are still using their phones today — albeit in a diminished state. They've skipped software updates, rooted their phones or modified them in another way to keep them in use. There are some workarounds actively being discussed to get the software back up and working. The barely-alive Galaxy Note 7 subreddit still has a little activity, and if you search around you can still find diehard Note 7 users out there — despite the newer Note 8 being on sale for 11 months now, and refurbished Note 5s being available for a steep discount. Heck, even the Note 7 Fan Edition is available in some regions.
Despite all of the effort, as of April 2018 even Samsung's own recall page notes that "nearly all" recalled Note 7s have been returned — yes, that means there are still active devices out there.
Somehow, Samsung hasn't been able to capture every recalled Note 7 yet.
For the first few months after the reports of Note 7 battery failures rolled in, despite our calls for everyone to return their Note 7 right away, it was at least a partially understandable position to hold onto your Note 7. Now, it isn't — and honestly it hasn't been for about a year now. The Galaxy Note 7 was a really great device before it started to exhibit its horrible battery safety flaw. But it's been replaced with products that are newer and more capable — and critically, ones that don't catch fire.
This has to stop, folks. Nobody should be using an original Note 7 anymore. Contact Samsung or your carrier and return it for a refund. And when you do, get ready to upgrade to the new Galaxy Note 9 — it's time to move on.
