A software update is supposed to improve a smart appliance, not turn it into a giant box. But some Samsung refrigerator owners in South Korea say a faulty update did just that, shutting down cooling functions as families prepared for Chuseok.
Here's what to know
According to TechRadar, certain Samsung AI-equipped refrigerators in South Korea stopped functioning after a problematic SmartThings update, leaving users without refrigeration, touch controls, or even the interior light.
The Bespoke AI 4-Door Refrigerator was the main model affected, with an internal test build sent out unintentionally.
The company said it identified the error and stopped the update from spreading further. Samsung also said engineers would be dispatched, though users reported that the first available service bookings were not until after Chuseok, which ends Saturday.
Users also said that neither restarting the refrigerators nor removing and re-adding them in SmartThings fixed the malfunction, TechRadar reported.
More background
When hardware depends heavily on cloud-linked software, updates can create points of failure that are hard for owners to diagnose or repair on their own.
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What's being done?
The problem did not reach Samsung refrigerator owners outside South Korea.
While they waited for technician visits, users preserved their groceries with dry ice and cooler boxes.
The only reported path to a fix was to wait for an engineer, and there was no public mention of compensation for spoiled food.
"Now it looks like I'll have to throw away all the holiday food I bought ahead of the break," one frustrated user said, per TechRadar.
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at the bigger issues behind the Samsung fridge outage, from repeat failures to what households do when cooling suddenly stops. They also cover software aging risks and habits that can wear a fridge down faster.
• After two Samsung fridges died in five years, shoppers said basic models are safest.
• Owners are finding that smart refrigerators can outlast the software keeping them secure.
• When cooling fails, households rely on dry ice and coolers to save groceries.
• Appliance technicians say common fridge habits quietly shorten a refrigerator's life and raise costs.
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