Samsung Galaxy Note fires lead Oculus to ban people from strapping the phone to their head

The phones are being pulled from sale

Images taken with the Gear 360 camera can be viewed through the Gear VR headset (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Samsung)

A software update is now banning people from strapping their phones to their faces in case they blow up.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note phones are a central part of its work with Oculus to create virtual reality headsets that let people put their phone on their face and use it as a VR display. But after the new Note 7s keep exploding, Oculus has taken the dramatic step of banning people from using them.

The move appears to be an attempt at stopping people strapping the phones to their faces and then having them blow up. The devices seem mostly to be exploding while they are being used and charging, both the kind of strain that can be put on a phone while it is being used for virtual reality experiences.

If people try to use the Gear VR with a Note 7, the update will mean that the content won’t load at all. Instead they’ll see a message indicating that doing so isn’t safe.

The warning makes sense given that Samsung is now so worried about the exploding phones that it has warned people to turn off their devices and not use them at all.

The message that pops up on Note 7 doesn’t reference the fact that the phones have a tendency to explode. But the message makes clear that the phone is a safety risk, in line with warnings about keeping them turned off and avoiding issues.

“Customer safety is Oculus’ top priority,” the message reads. “Oculus is removing support for all Note 7 devices on the Oculus platform.

“Until further notice, Note 7 devices will not be compatible with the Gear VR. For more information regarding the Note 7, please contact Samsung directly.”

Samsung has since announced that it will stop selling the Note 7 and will offer all current owners replacements.