What you need to know
- The Android 10 update for the Galaxy A70 is bricking some phones.
- The reports seem to be concentrated in the Netherlands at this time.
- The only solution to the problem may be a trip to the Samsung service center and a replacement PCB.
While Samsung has been doing a relatively good job in recent years of updating its phones, it may have moved a little too fast this time around. As SamMobile reports, the Android 10 update to the Galaxy A70, which started rolling out last month, is reportedly bricking some phone, at least in the Netherlands.
The issue stems from the fact that the company used two different types of PCBs for modulating charging on the phone. Unfortunately, while Samsung's Android 10 update is correctly configured for the newer variant, it seemingly does not address the older PCB. As a result, once the update is applied, the charging PCB is acting erroneously and the phone will refuse to boot because it thinks the battery's not charged.
Even worse, as per SamMobile's reporting, there is no software solution to this problem. If your phone is affected, the only way of regaining its use is to physically replace the old PCB with the new one, which can only be done at a Samsung service center.
Reports of the issue are seemingly concentrated in the Netherlands for now, but it's certainly possible that phones in other countries could also be affected. It would likely depend on how many models Samsung shipped with the old PCB — and where.
The publication reports that Samsung is continuing to roll out the update in the Netherlands, at least, and has thus far not acknowledged the issue. We've reached out to the company ourselves to confirm whether these reports are accurate, and if so, how widespread it expects the issue to be and what measures it's taking to protect its users and provide them with the necessary support. We'll update this article once we hear back from the company.
