Samsung Halts Smart Fridge Update in South Korea After Failures
Samsung has paused a SmartThings update for smart refrigerators in South Korea after owners reported units stopped cooling, lost interior lights and touch controls, and in some cases stopped working entirely.
Samsung confirmed the issue and said it was taking “emergency measures,” Android Authority reported. The company halted the rollout in Korea after owners complained, and many users on Samsung’s Korea Community forum said their fridges had completely stopped working, leading to spoiled food. Other reported problems included the automatic door-opening function not working and the refrigerator’s internal lights not turning on.
TechRadar reported that the failures occurred ahead of the Chuseok national holiday. The Bespoke AI 4-Door Refrigerator appeared to be the model most affected. According to ZDNET Korea, an internal testing software version was rolled out by mistake. Samsung acknowledged the error, paused the update, and promised to send engineers during the holiday break, TechRadar reported.
Some users, however, said they could only book engineers for after Chuseok ends, on Saturday, September 26. “Now it looks like I'll have to throw away all the holiday food I bought ahead of the break,” one unhappy user said, according to SBS News in South Korea, as cited by TechRadar through Google Translate.
Samsung has not disclosed how many people were affected, but TechRadar reported that the volume of complaints suggested the number was significant. The reports said there was no mention of compensation for spoiled fridge contents, and no fix appeared available other than waiting for an engineer.
Affected owners have turned to dry ice and ice boxes to keep food and drinks cool, according to TechRadar. Attempts to roll back the update failed, and turning the fridges off and on again did not work. Removing and reinstalling the appliances on the SmartThings platform also did not resolve the problem.
TechRadar reported that the update was halted before it reached Samsung fridge customers outside South Korea. The failure affected more than smart features: it also stopped the refrigerators from keeping food cold, leaving owners to manage the loss of refrigeration during a major holiday period.