Samsung Electronics will push out a software update for Korea that caps the capacity of Galaxy Note7 smartphone batteries at 60%, a stop-gap measure to prevent overheating as the device’s global recall proceeds.

The unusual move, announced on the first day of a major national holiday, reinforces the urgency with which Samsung’s trying to contain its deepest crisis in years. The company announced the recall of the Note7 — one of its best-reviewed phones upon debut — on 2 September after receiving 35 cases of the device overheating or catching fire. A week later, it urged local users to immediately power off their phones.

It’s unclear if or when Samsung will also push out updates in other countries where the Note7 went on sale. The software’s availability may vary in each market depending on the local situation and requirements, the company said in an e-mailed response to questions.

“We plan to carry out the Galaxy Note7 software update starting from 2am on 20 September,” Samsung said in a statement, which it said will only apply to phones that haven’t been exchanged for new ones. “This is a measure we are taking for our customers’ safety but we apologize for the inconvenience caused.”

Samsung said replacements for the recalled phones would be available from 19 September.

The world’s largest smartphone maker also apologised to Korean users through nationwide newspaper ads on the first day of Chuseok, one of the country’s biggest festive occasions. It pledged to pay part of the mobile fees for customers who replace their Note7s with new phones, without specifying amounts.

Samsung lost US$22bn in market value over the two days from Friday after regulators, airlines and the company itself warned against the use of the devices. The stock rebounded to end 4,2% higher Tuesday.