New data are presented to show that the transient on‐state characteristics of a chalcogenide threshold‐switching device change significantly when the device is addressed with diagnostic pulses or continuous waves that reduce the voltage beneath the holding level for no longer than 10–20 nsec. In this regime there is no indication of an offset barrier voltage which characterized the blocked on state for longer relaxation intervals. The results suggest the absence of any necessity for a barrier phenomenon and are interpreted in accord with the phase‐transition model for threshold switching rather than the double‐injection theory.