(Snap)
The developer of Snapchat is recalling the company’s Pixy drone due to a faulty battery that can overheat and catch fire.
On Thursday, the US’s Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the recall, which affects 71,000 lithium-ion batteries sold for the Pixy drone.
“Snap has received four reports of the battery overheating and bulging, resulting in one minor battery fire and one minor injury,” the Commission said in initiating the recall.
In response, Snap is asking customers to safely dispose of the faulty battery and to also return the Pixy drone to the company for a refund. Snap has created a dedicated support page with an FAQ and instructions on how to begin the fund process.
The recall closes the book on the Pixy product, which Snap first introduced in April 2022 as a new way to capture pictures and video. The pocket-sized drone launched for $229. But only a few months later in August, Snap reportedly decided to stop development on the project, phasing out the drone's sales.
The US’s Consumer Product Safety Commission now says: “Consumers should immediately stop using the Pixy Flying Camera, remove the battery and stop charging it.” The battery, which measures at three inches in length, sits inside the drone and can be easily swapped out.
Snap adds that all users should participate in the recall, even if they’ve experienced no problems with the battery. “Please note that Snap is deprecating Pixy functionality in the app, and you will no longer be able to sync content from Pixy starting mid-February 2024,” the company’s support page added.