DGCA lifts ban on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 with ‘green battery icon’

Finally, some respite for the South Korean giant Samsung. In an official statement, the company has informed that “the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a new advisory to the travelling public and airline companies, lifting the restrictions on in-flight use of the new Samsung Galaxy Note7, purchased after 15th September, 2016.”

Customers can identify the new Galaxy Note7 with the ‘green battery icon’. Devices displaying this visual icon are safe to charge and use during the flight.

Samsung has not yet sold a single unit of Galaxy Note 7 in India thus far. The company said the ‘green battery icon’ will apply to all Galaxy Note 7 units that will be sold to customers in India when it is launched.

DGCA had imposed restrictions on the carrying of Galaxy Note 7 devices in check-in baggages since September 9. The restriction also asked Note 7 users to keep their devices off through the entire flight, and also not to charge them on board.

As for the ‘green battery icon’, there is an added anecdote here. When reports about Samsung mulling over a green badge started surfacing, many people saw that as going against Google’s rule book for manufacturers of Android devices.

According to Google’s Compatibility Definition Document (CDD), all Android devices “MUST use white for system status icons” and obviously Samsung’s case is a clear violation of that.

To clear the air, Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president of Android recently took to Twitter and confirmed that Google was aware of the fact that new Galaxy Note 7 units feature green battery icons but this design choice doesn’t violate the CDD because all of the green icons feature white borders.

Well, we’ll take that with a pinch of salt because apparently, such liberal reading of the document is in best interest of both the companies. If Samsung wants to bring back the Galaxy Note 7 to the market as soon as possible, even Google would like to have the Android flagship back on shelves, after all festive season is just around the corner.