Galaxy Note 7: Timeline of Samsung's phones woes

Samsung has stopped sales of its Galaxy Note 7 and has urged users to power the phone down and stop using it altogether.

The launch of what was supposed to be its flagship model has turned into a fiasco for the world's largest smartphone maker.

As the South Korean company scrambles to contain the crisis, we look back at the developments so far:

Great prospects

2 August: Samsung unveils its latest flagship model Galaxy Note 7 amid great fanfare in New York. The phone is packed with new features like an iris scanner.

The initial response is good and expectations high. It's seen as Samsung's big rival to the upcoming iPhone 7.

19 August: Sales start in 10 markets, including South Korea and the United States. European markets are scheduled for October.

24 August: The first report of a Note 7 device "exploding" appear in the news. It isn't long before there are more incidents with users posting pictures and videos of what they say are their phones overheating, exploding or catching fire.

A Galaxy Note 7 reportedly caught fire shortly after its charger was unplugged

The first recall

2 September: Samsung announces a voluntary global recall of some 2.5 million Note 7 phones, citing faulty batteries. The company offers to either refund or replace the device.

8 September: US federal aviation administration and numerous airlines worldwide tell passengers not to turn on or charge the Note 7 while on a plane.

9 September: The US Consumer Product Safety Commission urges people to stop using the phone and on 15 September, issues a formal recall.

Meanwhile, Samsung announced it will resume selling the Note 7 on 28 September in South Korea

19 September: Reports appear of phones in China catching fire as well although Samsung said the batteries for the devices sold in China were from a different supplier and not affected by the recall.

1 October: Samsung resumes sales of the Note 7 in South Korea. In the US, the replacement of phone is in full swing.

The second recall

6 October: There's the first report of a replacement Note 7 still showing the same problems. A phone on board a Southwest Airline flight in the US starts emitting smoke and the plane get evacuated.

In the days following there are other reports of replacement phones overheating and catching fire.

9 October: US carriers AT&T and T-Mobile say they will stop issuing new Note 7 replacements and stop selling the phone.

11 October: Samsung announces it is stopping all sales of the phone while it investigates the problems. The company also tells people to power down their phones and stop using them.