Samsung is finally working with the US government to make selling unsafe Note 7s illegal

Samsung recalled the Galaxy Note 7 after it started blowing up, but the company was blasted by Consumer Reports for not making the recall official with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Thankfully, that’s now changing. The commission issued the following statement today:

Lithium-ion batteries pack a lot of power into a small package. When these batteries overheat and burst, the results can be serious. This is why the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging all consumers who own a Samsung Galaxy Note7 to power them down and stop charging or using the device.

This consumer warning is based on recent reports involving lithium-ion batteries in certain Note7 devices that have resulted in fires. These incidents have occurred while charging and during normal use, which has led us to call for consumers to power down their Note7s.

CPSC and Samsung are working cooperatively to formally announce an official recall of the devices, as soon as possible. CPSC is working quickly to determine whether a replacement Galaxy Note7 is an acceptable remedy for Samsung or their phone carriers to provide to consumers.

The official recall is important because it means it will actually be illegal for stores to sell the unsafe batch of Note 7 devices; many stores have still been selling it despite new stock coming in just a week or two. The CPSC also works with companies to determine the scope of the hazard and figure out the best strategy for replacing devices.

If you want to make sure your phone is from the safe batch, check out our guide here.