India's aviation ministry lifts Note 7 ban
India's aviation ministry — the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) — has eased restrictions on Galaxy Note 7 usage aboard flights. Following the global recall, Samsung has issued an update to the Note 7 to distinguish safe units from those that are still faulty. Essentially, new units with batteries from a different supplier will come with a green battery icon, whereas older defective units will retain the traditional white icon.
The DGCA has announced that Note 7 units with the green battery icon are safe to use on flights. Technically, Samsung didn't commence sales of the Note 7 in the country before the recall was initiated, instead choosing to defer the launch date. It looks like Samsung sent out a few pre-orders and demo units, but has retrieved them. The company is now planning to launch the Note 7 on October 7, and is rolling out a massive ad campaign to allay fears over exploding batteries.
Here's the statement issued by the DGCA:
A Samsung spokesperson also issued a statement reflecting the ruling:
While the Note 7 is cleared for usage, the DGCA is working with Samsung over a Galaxy Note 2 that caught on fire aboard an IndiGo flight last week. Based on preliminary findings from the investigation, it looks like external damage was the cause behind that particular device exploding:
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Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.