Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Some Samsung smart fridges stopped working on Tuesday due to a firmware update. Korean outlets were the first to report the problems, which affect Samsung’s Bespoke AI line of fridges. Star News Korea, per a Google-provided translation, said that most of the affected devices were four-door fridges from 2024 or later. Affected fridges “suddenly lost power and stopped functioning immediately after” trying to issue a firmware update through SmartThings, Samsung’s smart home platform, per Star News Korea.
The SmartThings app then showed the devices as offline. Some users said that their fridge’s internal display was stuck showing the message “Checking SmartThings app during update.” There are numerous reports on Samsung’s Korean community forum detailing the problem. Some users claim that they have owned their affected fridge for just a year or less. “[T]he refrigeration and refrigeration functions themselves did not work normally, so all the food in the refrigerator had to be disposed of,” one user wrote, per a translation. Samsung didn’t respond to Ars’ questions about what it will do to prevent this from happening in the future or how many units are affected and in which countries.
SBS Korea reported that customers have filed hundreds of cases. The complaints seem to originate only from Korea, where the problem has been made worse because it’s happening during a major Korean holiday, Chuseok, which celebrates the autumn harvest and starts Thursday. “Customers only trusted Samsung Electronics and made an official update, but it is so absurd and embarrassing that they can’t even use refrigeration and refrigeration functions before the Chuseok,” a forum user wrote, per a Google-provided translation. Some Samsung forum users said support agents initially told them that there are limited technicians and executives available, and a repair person might not be available until October. “The customers who bought Samsung refrigerators have had their holidays completely ruined, while those Samsung employees are just having a good time at home,” a Samsung forum member wrote. Samsung stopped issuing the update as of September 23 and is aiming to have some fridges fixed by September 24, ZDNET Korea reported.
Today, a Samsung representative posted a response to user complaints on the forum, saying, per a Google translation: Yesterday (9/22), an error occurred during the testing process for a Samsung refrigerator software update[.] Abnormal symptoms have been observed in the refrigerator power and screen of some customers. We are currently taking emergency measures as a top priority through Samsung Electronics Service Centers. If you have confirmed this symptom, please contact the Samsung Electronics Service Center … . We will do our best to ensure that our customers do not suffer any losses during the Chuseok holiday period. “Never update your Samsung refrigerator!” Out of frustration with having a broken fridge ahead of the food-centric holiday, one member of Samsung’s forum users declared, “Never update your Samsung refrigerator!” The obvious alternative, of course, is to avoid fridges that get updates altogether.
Dumb fridges can suddenly break too, but that usually doesn’t happen if that fridge’s hardware components are all working properly and if it’s just a year or two old. While most of the complaints this week center on rotten food, an abruptly broken fridge can cause other serious problems, like ruining medication. As other poorly issued smart home gadget updates have proven, extraneous technology can spoil a simple product. Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter 120 Comments Comments Forum view Customize
