Snap, the company behind the social media app Snapchat, is recalling its Pixy drone due to a fire hazard. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says the lithium-ion battery in the drone can overheat and catch fire. The agency has received four reports of the battery overheating and bulging, leading to one fire and one minor injury. It advises consumers to immediately stop using the drone, remove the battery, and stop charging it.
Snap recalls its Pixy flying drone camera
Pixy was launched in April 2022 as a flying camera companion for Snapchat users. It is a mini drone that works without a controller or an SD card. Simply activate the device and select the flying mode, and you have a flying camera for hands-free video recording. You can select from four preconfigured flight paths—the drone can float in front of you, orbit around you, or follow you as you walk or run.
On a single charge, Pixy can capture five to eight flights. Videos and photos captured by the drone are automatically transferred to your phone. It is a cool little device that can add a fun element to your social media experience. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel once suggested the market for these kinds of personal drones was huge, bigger than that for camera-mounted glasses. However, the company discontinued Pixy just four months after launching it.
Now, two years later, it is recalling every single Pixy drone it sold. Not just the battery but the entire drone. As The Verge noted, this could be because it no longer makes those batteries. In fact, Snap doesn’t want you to send the defective batteries back. You have to only send the camera and other accessories and dispose of the battery safely yourself, adhering to your local laws.
You can get a refund of up to $250
According to CPSC, the total recall volume is about 71,000 units. These include batteries purchased separately, so Snap sold fewer than 71,000 Pixy flying cameras. The company will refund all purchases, including optional accessories. You don’t need a receipt to apply for a refund. You will get a refund even if you received the drone as a gift. All you need is its serial number, a 16-character alphanumeric code on the back of the device, under the battery.
Once you have it, fill out this form and Snap will email you a prepaid return label. As far as disposing of the battery is concerned, the company says you should not drop them at household garbage or recycling bins or used battery recycling boxes at retail stores. You should follow “the procedures established by your municipal recycling center for damaged/defective/recalled lithium-ion batteries.”
You will get at least $185 for each Pixy flying camera you send back to Snap. If you purchased the Flight Pack bundle, you could get a refund of up to $250. Additionally, each extra charger or battery you purchased will fetch between $40 and $50, while the Pixy batteries that Snap sold separately are worth between $16 and $20. You can find more details about this recall program on an official support page here.
2024-02-02 15:05:36