In August last year, reports surfaced about a flaw in Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 that could permanently disable some of the smartphone's functions. The problem came when users accidently inserted the device's stylus into its slot the wrong way round; a mistake that was easier to make with the Note 5 as, unlike earlier models, the S Pen offered the same amount of resistance no matter which way it was replaced.
Those who did insert their stylus' into the Note 5 the wrong way round would find that the S Pen would get stuck once it passed a certain point. It could be freed with a little force, but doing so would likely physically damage the handset, meaning it would no longer be able to detect whether or not the stylus was attached.
Initially, Samsung advised owners to "read the manual," before adding extra instructions to the Note 5's packaging. But it seems that the company has now issued a simple but effective solution for all new Note 5s.
First spotted by an anonymous Phandroid reader, the fix uses a piece of flexible plastic that covers an internal switch, acting as a ramp for the stylus. Now, instead of the incorrectly-inserted S Pen catching on the switch, the plastic will press it down as the thinner part of the stylus passes over it.
Samsung confirmed this design change to The Verge: "Samsung can confirm that the Note 5 internal S Pen mechanism has been changed to avoid the issue caused by inserting the S Pen incorrectly," said the company. "As always, we recommend following proper instructions for storing the S Pen."
While all new Note 5s will ship with this fix, Samsung not has said if it will be offering the solution to existing owners of the handset. So if you do currently own a Note 5, make sure you put the stylus back in the right way round.