Snap recalls all flying selfie drones after battery fire

(NewsNation) — Snap is recalling all of its now-discontinued Pixy Flying Cameras because the batteries are at risk of overheating and bursting into flames.

The company — which owns the social media app Snapchat — only sold roughly 71,000 selfie drones, which were meant to fly around taking photos while you did things other than hold a camera. The Pixy wasn’t a commercial success and Snap abandoned the project after just four months.

Now the diminutive drones are being recalled over a fire hazard posed by the lithium-ion battery which can catch fire after overheating. The company and the U.S. Consumer Safety Product Safety Commission issued the recall after four reports of overheating and bulging batteries, which resulted in one minor fire and one injury.

The recall applies to both the batteries and the drones, both of which are yellow. Anyone who owns a Pixy should stop using it immediately.

A receipt is not required to receive a refund and those who received the Pixy as a gift are eligible to return it as well as those who purchased the drone themselves.

The Pixy was sold online at Pixy.com and through Amazon between May 2022 and December 2023, along with extra batteries. The amount of the refund depends on which items or packages were purchased.

Drones will need to be returned without the batteries, which should not be thrown out in household trash. The Environmental Protection Agency advises people to tape the battery terminals and place them in separate plastic bags before taking them to a designated recycling center or hazardous waste collection site for proper disposal.

More information on the recall can be found at the CPSC’s website or Pixy.com.