Samsung Galaxy Note7 owners are being forced to give up their phones -- that doesn't mean they're all going to go quietly into the night, though.
Just because some devoted Note7 owners have been told their phones are too dangerous to own, are banned from airlines forever, and will be crippled by software updates doesn't mean they're all simply heeding the global recall. But what recourse do these (either unwaveringly brave, or incredibly reckless and stupid) phone owners have? What can they possibly do to keep Samsung from prying their precious Note7s from them?
Fight the system, and rebel... by joining a Facebook group, of course, to seek solace (and action) in these dark times.
SEE ALSO:Good news: Samsung reportedly knows what ruined the Galaxy Note7There aren't just one, but two Facebook groups of feverish Note7 owners that exist for this purpose. Meet the "Note7 Alliance" and "Note7 Rebels." The groups (who are also gathered in their own respective online forums here and here) are currently invite-only, although there appears to be no criteria for getting in -- I was approved in less than five minutes after requesting to join the Note7 Alliance.
The existence of Facebook groups such as these should come as no surprise, though.
Many of these users are diehard Samsung fans desperate to keep their phones active.
With reports of Samsung having reportedly completed its internal investigation into what what ultimately doomed the Note7 and carriers pushing "kill-switch" updates to remotely block the phones from cellular networks and prevent them from charging, some Note7 "rebels" refusing to give their devices up are taking matters into their own hands.
Scrolling through the comments in the Note7 Alliance group, it's clear many of these users are diehard Samsung fans, desperate to keep their phones active.
"The Alliance is a group of tech-savvy, resourceful and relentless people," a moderator who wished to remain anonymous told Mashableover a Facebook Messenger exchange.
"We have been able to stop Samsung from crippling the battery here in the U.S., as well as restoring those phones that were affected back to 100 percent charging. We are also working on ways to help those in other countries to circumvent the IMEI block from their carriers. We have members from all over the world."
As a member of the group, you'll find everything from video tutorials on how to flash the Note7 with new software, to one-on-one personal tips on how to bypass or circumvent the kill-switch carrier updates, to users displaying their homemade charging contraptions, thrown together to minimize the threat of a possible fire.
Here's just a sampling of the types of posts you'll find on Note7 Alliance:
Resisting hard.Credit: screenshot: mashable
This person wants some help on how to reverse an update that limited his Note7's maximum charging functionality.Credit: SCREENSHOT: MASHABLE
This person is sure showing the carriers who's boss!Credit: SCREENSHOT: MASHABLE
Sure, just live life storing your Note7 in a crockpot.Credit: SCREENSHOT: MASHABLE
Inspired by the person above, this Note7 owner made a charging contraption out of a water tank and plastic wrap to keep their phone from ever overheating. Definitely safe (it's not).Credit: SCREENSHOT: MASHABLE
Some users are more proud of their banned Note7 status and just had to make a case for it.Credit: SCREENSHOT: MASHABLEThis kind of collective rallying power against a multinational corporation would be commendable -- if not for the very fact that the Note7 is a ticking time bomb, of course.
No matter how small the chance of a Note7 exploding is, Samsung's decision to do a double global recall and then discontinue the device should tell you all there is to know: The Note7's defect(s) -- whatever the reason is -- isn't worth risking your life, or the lives of the people around you.
"We are a community of people who love this phone so much that we are taking measures to keep it at all costs."
To get a better understanding on why these owners are ignoring the dangers, we reached out to several of the Note7 Alliance members.
The same moderator expressed substantial adoration for the beloved Note7, explosiveness notwithstanding. "We are a community of people who love this phone so much that we are taking measures to keep it at all costs," the moderator explained. "The Note7 is the best phone out there. Nothing compares to it. Samsung wants consumers to return their phones, yet," the moderator went on, "they are not offering any comparable models and they still have not explained exactly what caused the phone to catch on fire."
In other words? "Yes, preserving this phone is definitelyworth the hassle."
"Some of us waited forever to get this phone and then Samsung turns around and tells us to give it back, over a voluntary recall? I had my phone for threedays before they wanted me to turn it in. I will continue to block their updates until either the Note8 comes out or a comparable phone. Part of this is more about the principle of the matter than it is just loving the phone."
Karen Legrand, another active member of the Note7 Alliance and a loyal Samsung Galaxy user who's owned every single Galaxy phone—including three different Galaxy Notes—echoed the group moderator's sentiment, citing her frustration with Samsung's handling of the recall/exchange process as one reason why she's not giving in.
It's even become a personal matter for her, now.
"I went so far as to email Samsung's president for help, but received no response," said Legrand. "They apologized to me, and even gave me a ticket number, but in the end they did not do one thing to help me. I have dozens of emails and recorded phone conversations with them... and they have the nerve to blow me off and expect me to just give [the Note7] back?"
A collection of Karen Legrand's Note7 accessories.Credit: Karen legrandAnd it's just not feeling betrayed by her loyalty to Samsung that's made this a cause worth fighting for—she's also invested substantially in the phone by way of committing to the device's ecosystem of accessories (she owned a Gear 360 and a Gear VR). "I bought the wide-angle and telephoto lens case and all types of cases for the Note7 (about $1,500 spent in total)."
"There are many of us out there that feel Samsung betrayed us, but at the same time," said Legrand, "there's not a comparable device to swap to. Samsung makes the best cell phone and camera on the market; I bought an LG V20 and kept it for three weeks before selling it."
SEE ALSO:How the push for thinner phones contributed to the Samsung Note7 debacleAs for whether or not this means she'll be buying into Samsung's upcoming line of flagship phones (the Galaxy S8 and Note8), Legrand said she'll likely consider it.
Other Note7 owners and members of the Alliance like Miguelina Betty are resisting if only because they believe Samsung's gone too far over what started as a voluntaryrecall.
"I am not giving up my Note7 because it is in my right to keep it," Betty said."This is voluntary recall and as the consumer, it is my decision whether or not I want to keep a recalled item."
She sent the following screenshot from Samsung's Galaxy Note7 Safety recall website to emphasize her rights:
Credit: miguelina bettyWhen pressed further on the potential liabilities—like, say, if her Note7 exploded in public, Betty remained unfazed.
"I am no more worried than I would be if I was carrying any other kind of product that could potentially combust," she said. "If something were to happen in public, I would treat it as I would any potential circumstance. I have weighed the risks and rewards of continuing to use my Note7. I have backup phones that I can take on an airplane or Amtrak, so I am not too inconvenienced by the FAA ban."
"I have weighed the risks and rewards of continuing to use my Note7."
For Betty, the Alliance is a great resource to keep the Note7 "alive," but it's more than just a forum for abandoned Note7 owners to air their grievances. The group has become a community to meet new people and learn new things about their Android phone they otherwise might not have bothered to explore.
"The 'lengths' I have gone through to circumvent the update has been fun. I have learned many things about cell phones, in general, that I would have never known otherwise," Betty said. "Being a part of the Note7 Alliance has allowed me the opportunity to engage with many types of people. I get to share my expertise with other tech-savvy people and come to rescue for those who are in need of guidance. It has been wonderful getting to know people who have never customized the software of anything in their lives, and want to get to know a deep technical understanding of the Note7 just so they can continue to use it at its full caliber."
Credit: screenshot: mashableMashableEntertainment Editor Josh Dickey—who defiantly refused to give up his Note7 back in October—at one point went so far as to cite Fight Clubin his defense.
But it turns out Dickey gave up his Note7 a little while back when he needed to fly to Dubai. "I was holding onto [my Note7] because it was convenient to do so," Dickey said. "I didresist the earlier updates, the ones that would only allow you to charge up to 60 percent, etc. I just swiped away the push notifications and ignored the text messages."
But ultimately, he found himself giving in. "[Resisting carrier updates through the use of custom software] goes so far beyond convenient that I wouldn't be able to justify it," Dickey said.
That doesn't mean he's remorseful for his actions. On the contrary: he felt "brave and rebellious" for not handing his phone over to Samsung -- the same theme that seems to pervade the Note7 Alliance.
"I was mostly being defiant against our culture of hysteria. People just love to feel like they're in control of the danger around them. This was a perfect manifestation of that, which is why people were so upset with me for keeping mine -- despite that the math tells us I had a far better chance of being hit by an airplane falling out of the sky."
Seeing the "the best phone ever" get neutered really hurts, and the only thing that'll make it better is the Galaxy S8 and Note 8.
As it stands, Samsung's already recalled "more than 93 percent" of all recalled Note7 phones in the U.S. When pressed for a global percentage, a Samsung Electronics America spokesperson said the company had nothing to share. And when asked about the Note7 Facebook groups, Samsung only gave its boilerplate statement, urging anyone who hasn't yet exchanged their Note7 to do so immediately.
Anecdotally, a skim through the comments in the Note7 Alliance group suggests a majority of them are international Note7 users.
The high percentage of recalled devices is good news for Samsung, as it rebounds from the disastrous recall.
But despite the evident danger the phones could potentially present, at least one Note7 Alliance member remained skeptical as to why Samsung's willing to jump through extra hoops for the remaining seven percent of Note7 devices.
"To bully a shutdown is extreme," the member wrote, in reply to their original conspiracy theory comment in the group. "Why not give us till [the Galaxy S8 launches]?"
This particular member feels Samsung is overreaching, going so far as to attack the company for dictating "what I want to do with my money and how I feel on what I want to keep."
Another member chimed in, agreeing: "Even if my phone didn't work I still wouldn't give it back just to spite them. I'll take that $800 hit."
Whether they're passionate advocates of consumer rights, reckless gadget enthusiasts or just plain lunatics, at the end of the day, the members of the Note7 Alliance are huge Samsung fans. Any company even remotely resembling Samsung would fall over themselves to have loyalists like them. And like all tech fans, they just want the best. For them, seeing the "the best phone ever" get neutered really hurts, and the only thing that'll soothe the pain is to hold onto the Note7 even tighter. Clearly, they'll only give up their phones -- scorched or intact -- if they're pried from their cold, dead hands.
TopicsAndroidSamsung
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