Samsung is offering an in-store sanitizing service to help limit the reach of the coronavirus. If you’re willing to walk to one of its Samsung Experience and Service Centers, the company will clean your phone for free and sanitize it using UV-C light.
The service is available in only a few western territories (listed below), but Samsung has graciously offered to sanitize any handset, even if it’s from a different manufacturer. Some shops will also sanitize tablets and smartwatches, too.
The service is available in the following European countries (but it's noticeably not available in the UK) and in the US:
- Denmark
- Finland
- Croatia
- Norway
- Ukraine
- Poland
- Spain
- Russia
- Sweden
- United States
Unlike liquid chemical cleaners - which can corrode the oleophobic coating that’s applied to screens - Samsung promises that the UV-C light won’t damage or harm your device, which should give you peace of mind.
Spring cleaning
Of course, the sanitizing service does come with a disclaimer. Samsung can’t guarantee that the UV-C light will kill all germs, bacteria and viruses that may be present on your phone. The results may also vary depending on the store you visit, as Samsung uses a variety of third-party hardware to clean the devices.
- Read our Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus review
- We reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
- You can still try on an Apple Watch or Airpods in stores if you ask
Is it worth it?
The company is looking to expand the availability of its sanitizing service, allowing more people to safely clean their devices and guard against the spread of infection.
It should be noted, however, that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised that "the virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person”, and that people are more likely to experience a higher risk of exposure by visiting a store than they would be just using their phone.
Is Samsung’s sanitizing service a publicity stunt or genuine attempt to help stop the spread of coronavirus? Whatever the case, everyone should continue to take the necessary precautions.
- Find out how the Samsung Galaxy Buds sound in our review
Via Android Police
