DHAKA: Samsung is urging consumers worldwide to stop using Galaxy Note7 smartphones immediately and exchange them as soon as possible, as more reports of the phones catching fire emerged even after the company’s global recall.

The call from the South Korean company, the world’s largest smartphone maker, comes after US authorities urged users to switch the Galaxy Note7 off and not to use or charge it during flights.

Several airlines have asked travelers not to switch on the jumbo smartphone or put it in checked baggage, with some carriers banning the phone on flights, reports ft.com.

In a statement posted on its website, Samsung asked users to “immediately” return their Galaxy Note7.

“We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7s and exchange them as soon as possible,” said Koh Dong-jin, Samsung’s mobile president.

“We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible.”

Consumers can visit Samsung’s service centers to receive rental phones for temporary use. Samsung plans to provide Galaxy Note 7 devices with new batteries in South Korea starting on September 19, but schedules for other countries vary.

Earlier this month, Samsung announced an unprecedented recall of 2.5-m Galaxy Note 7s worldwide just a fortnight after the phone was launched. That move came after Samsung’s investigation into reports of fires found that rechargeable lithium batteries manufactured by one of its suppliers were at fault.

The US was among the first countries to take a step following the recall. Late on Friday, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission urged owners of the phones to turn them off and leave them off.

It also said it was working with Samsung and hoped to have an official recall “as soon as possible”.

The recall by the safety commission will allow the US Federal Aviation Administration to ban passengers from carrying the phones on aircraft.

BDST: 1702 HRS, SEP 11, 2016
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