Category: Sprint

[Update 2] – T-Mobile and Verizon are now allowing customers to return their replacement Galaxy Note7’s.  That makes all four major carriers in the US.

[Update] – AT&T now allowing customers to return their replacement Galaxy Note7’s too

Sprint has taken a big forward step in the sage with the Galaxy Note7 from Samsung.  While they and other carriers have been offering replacement devices or returns, Sprint has now gone a step further and told their Note7 customers they can replace it with any device.  This change comes after what appears to have been an updated replacement Note7 catching fire on a Southwest Airlines flight this week.  While the FAA and Consumer Product Safety Commission investigate, Recode has talked to Sprint and they are replacing devices out of customer desires for safety.

“If a Sprint customer with a replacement Note 7 has any concerns regarding their device, we will exchange it for any other device at any Sprint retail store during the investigation window,” the Sprint representative said.

This comes after T-Mobile started selling the updated Note7 in their stores and online this week (Wednesday ironically).

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon have all issued statements regarding the Galaxy Note 7 recall and what their customers can do who have the devices.  Overall they are trying to work with their customers as quickly and as effeciently as possible.  T-Mobile and Verizon have already indicated that customers with Note 7’s can return them for a full refund without any restocking fees while AT&T will clarify what their customers can do later today and Sprint is offering “similar” device exchanges for customers.   Here are the details from each carrier:

AT&T

Samsung has notified us that they have identified a battery cell issue in certain Galaxy Note7s. They have asked all retailers, including AT&T, to stop selling the device. We are in the process of determining the exchange process for our customers and how they can replace their current Note7 as quickly as possible. We will have more information later today.

Sprint

Sprint has suspended sales of Samsung Galaxy Note7 immediately following Samsung’s announcement to discontinue sales of the device globally.

We are working closely with Samsung to ensure those customers who already have purchased the device are taken care of. For those customers that previously purchased the Note 7 we will offer them a similar device until the issue is resolved. Customers should go to a nearby Sprint store to exchange their Note 7 device.

For those of you who are on the Sprint network with the HTC Desire 626s, today is a good day!  HTC has announced that the Android Marshmallow update is rolling out to the mid-range phone starting today.  The update will take the phone from Android Lollipop 5.1 up to Marshmallow 6.0 and brings all of the goodies that comes with the latest major build of Android.  The update is a big one at just around 1GB so you will need to download it via Wi-Fi and once you start the install process, it will take about 20-30 minutes to complete it.

If you have been wanting to get your hands on the latest flagship phone from LG, the LG G5, you can go to any of the major US carriers and pick one up starting today.  AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon all have the device available for order on their sites and most of them should have the device available for pick-up at their larger stores.  If you are planning on trying to get on in person today, be sure to call ahead to make sure your local retail outlet has the device in stock.

While the news dominating the Android world the past 24 hours has been the release of the technical preview for Android N, that doesn’t mean that Android Marshmallow is dead and gone.  Today customers on the Sprint network that have the Samsung Galaxy S6 are the latest to see the current shipping version of the OS hit their devices.  The update brings the device up from Lollipop and weighs in at a hefty 1.2GB so you will absolutely have to be on Wi-Fi for the update to download.

As expected and announced, the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are now available for pre-sale from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon.  All four of the carriers started taking orders today with an anticipated delivery date no later than March 11th.  All of the carriers have the 32GB version of these devices as Samsung has made no plans to sell the 64GB versions here in the US.  While the prices for the devices varies a little, all of them have financing plans available to get you the new phone without having to necessarily come up with $600+ dollars today.