 Verizon announced that it would refuse to distribute this update due to the "added risk this could pose to Galaxy Note 7 users that do not have another device to switch to" because it would "make it impossible to contact family, first responders or medical professionals in an emergency situation", especially during the holiday season.On 18 December 2016, Verizon announced that they would be distributing the update on 5 January 2017.Sprint also stated that it would not distribute this update until January 2017.