It's fair to say that the launch of the Ai Pin didn't go according to plan for Humane. This week, the well-funded startup is grappling with another in its growing list of problems: On Wednesday, the company sent out an email to customers asking them to stop using the egg-shaped charging case.
Humane said the warning was issued “out of an abundance of caution.” The company said it launched an investigation after receiving “one complaint” from a customer about charging issues. Ultimately, Humane determined that the batteries supplied posed a fire hazard.
“Following our investigation, we have determined that our battery supplier no longer meets our quality standards and that certain battery cells supplied by this supplier may pose a fire safety risk,” Humane wrote in an email viewed by TechCrunch. “As a result, we have effectively disqualified this battery supplier and are working to select a new supplier to avoid these issues and maintain our high quality standards.”
We've reached out to the company for more details and to ask if Humane plans to issue a full recall or refunds. For now, the company is offering some solace in the form of two free months of its $24 subscription service.
Humain isn't the first consumer electronics manufacturer to ship products with potentially dangerous batteries, but the timing of this news isn't ideal, as the company's founders were reportedly pitching the company to potential buyers just months after launching its first products.
According to the memo, the only Humane product affected by this news is the Charge Case — the Battery Boost and Charging Pad were not specifically mentioned by the company.