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Humane's AI pin was the subject of scrutiny when it officially launched last month, with some reviewers complaining about the pin's heat, speed, and other issues. Now, Humane says the pin's reflective device charging case isn't safe to use because it poses a battery fire hazard.
"Immediately stop using and charging your Charge Case Accessory due to an issue with certain battery cells for the Charge Case Accessory," Humane urges customers in an email shared by The Verge Wednesday. "We identified a quality issue with the battery cell supplied by a third-party vendor used in your Charge Case Accessory."
Like Apple's AirPods, Humane's Charge Case is a wireless charger that needs to be plugged into a power source with a USB-C cable to be replenished. Now, it's not safe to recharge Humane's case with a cable or charge the device inside the case.
Humane says it has investigated the issue and is now trying to find a new battery supplier for its product. The charging case issue doesn't apply to the AI pin itself, nor is it impacting the Humane Charge Pad or its Battery Booster, according to the company, which also claims its charging case's design isn't at fault, either.
"The issue identified is isolated only to certain battery cells used in the Charge Case Accessory and is not related to the Charge Case Accessory hardware design," Humane's email to customers states.
It's currently unclear if or when the AI hardware startup will send out new, safe charging cases to its customers who have already shelled out $700 for the pin and another $24 a month for a subscription. For now, Humane is only promising customers the consolation of two months of a free Humane subscription.
But considering the battery life is inconsistent and the pin needs to be charged "multiple times per day," according to one viral review, it's unlikely many customers will get to make use of that free subscription.
Device battery fires are generally uncommon, but a valid concern and typically cause for a recall. Samsung devices have caught fire in the past, and Snap's Pixy drones were recalled earlier this year after a battery fire resulted in an injury.