Samsung Electronics Australia will pay $14 million after admitting that it misled customers about its phone’s waterproof capabilities

The false or misleading claims were made about the water resistance of several phones, including the S7, S7 Edge, and Note 8 Samsung Galaxy phones.

It’s understood there were more than 3.1 million of these Galaxy phones sold in Australia.

The company says if the phones were submerged in pool or sea water there was chance of the charging port being corroded and stop working if the phone was charged while still wet.

“The phones would display a warning message to discourage consumers from attempting to charge the phones while water was in the charging port,” the company said.

Australia’s consumer watchdog says they reviewed hundreds of complaints from customers who experienced issues with their Galaxy phones.

“The case only relates to a prospect of corrosion of the charging port (if charged while pool or
sea water remained in the charging port), and only following submersion in pool or sea
water. It does not relate to water resistance generally,” the company explained.

Affected customers are urged to contact Samsung.