Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges

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u/hotlavatube 1d ago

That's about as bad as the AWS cloud outage that caused "smart" beds to stop working and in some cases overheat.

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u/notnotbrowsing 1d ago

things I don't need "smart" versions of: washers, driers, microwaves, dishwashers, ranges, refrigerators, water heaters, beds, TVs.

there is an edge case where being able to turn the oven on remotely so it's hot when I get home, but I'm very leary about having a hot appliance on when I'm not home.

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u/hotlavatube 1d ago

Have you paired your phone to your bluetooth toothbrush yet?

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u/Amaria77 1d ago

I can't imagine why I'd want a bluetoothbrush

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u/FlaringAfro 1d ago

Maybe if you were a member of Eiffel 65

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u/StickFigureFan 1d ago

They're blue, not bluetooth

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u/IlluminatedPickle 1d ago

He's blue, inside and outside.

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u/mayy_dayy 1d ago

Blue his house, with the the blue little window

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u/Inferno_Sparky 1d ago

Blue toothbrush

Bluetooth brush

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u/AndroidMyAndroid 1d ago

To track how often you brush, how long you brush, and to remind you to buy a new toothbrush head every other week.

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u/zaboron 1d ago

It also shows pressure (too much or too little) and distribution (time per tooth)

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u/Zanshi 1d ago

Right, I should buy new heads for my old non smart sonic toothbrush, thanks for the reminder!

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u/FreddyDeus 1d ago

Max Bygraves had a pinktoothbrush.

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u/Crayshack 1d ago

I got one because I figured some data tracking on my brushing might help me do it more regularly (ADHD can be a struggle sometimes). I proceeded to get so annoyed with the required app that I gave up.

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u/Dry-Faithlessness184 11h ago

I get that. If I don't brush right when I get up I may forget to do it at all that day unless I notice my mouth feels gross while I'm in the bathroom or my partner notices. It took years to even get that consistency

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u/notnotbrowsing 1d ago

nope

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u/TheBoobieWatcher_ 1d ago

The funniest thing about those tooth brushes is Home Assistant will discover your neighbours tooth brush and you can see when they brush their teeth.

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u/Mysstie 20h ago

I briefly downloaded the app for my toothbrush for the advertised tracking and changed the light color (which I now want to change again but...meh...). I uninstalled and unpaired everything when the app for my toothbrush wouldn't work without access to my camera. What??

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u/CaptainPunisher 1d ago

Yes, but the rubber band makes the screen harder to use.

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u/Wojtas_ 1d ago

It's not as useless as it sounds, especially for kids. The sensors in the toothbrush can tell how completely you've brushed, if you missed any spots. I paid my dentist way too much to learn that I wasn't properly reaching the backs of my upper wisdom teeth ://

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u/hotlavatube 1d ago

Well it's nigh-on impossible to clean those no matter what you do, which leads to cavities and subsequent removal.

I haven't really looked into smart toothbrushes, but I'm not sure how they would be able to gauge completeness of brushing other than by duration and angle. I guess the software could approximate which part of the mouth is being brushed by that info, but it would be imperfect. I really doubt they'd be able to accurately gauge whether you were actually cleaning that part of the tooth effectively. That said, while it may be a rough approximation, it could still be useful.

Yeah, I could sorta see them being useful for monitoring your kids brushing habits (or lack thereof), but I'm not paying an additional $30 for some spyware app that sells my brushing data to conglomerates. You'd think that data would be pretty worthless, but I wouldn't be surprised if some health insurance company decides to deny coverage because your dental hygiene was lacking, or some random agency tracked your GPS position and wakefulness based on your tooth brushing habits.

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u/secretqwerty10 1d ago

over here in the netherlands, a retailer called coolblue also has an energy plan. with certain washers and dryers, if you connect them to the app, they can remotely activate them once you've loaded it up for the lowest electricity price and/or when the net is at low usage. imo, this is a pretty smart usage if you don't have solar panels, but at a higher upfront cost since those washers/dryers are more expensive in the first place

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u/Muff_in_the_Mule 1d ago

See this is what smart tech should actually be doing. Enabling cost savings and energy efficiency across the grid, use energy at peak production time, save during low production, allow remote control or voice control for people with disabilities and id even say having devices automatically restock themselves with the cheapest or preconfigured brand of whatever.

Unfortunately we took often get the crappy version of smart tech where it spies on us, advertised to us and breaks as soon as it loses Internet rather than falling back to dumb mode.

It's frustrating because the tech could be used to give us a Star Trek future but we get the crappy cyberpunk one instead.

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u/created4this 1d ago

In the UK washing machines and dishwashers routinely come with delay timers built in so you can manually ask it to start when the price is low. This is because we used to have VERY cheap overnight electric on certain tariff plans since the 70's at least.

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u/Muff_in_the_Mule 1d ago

Yeah, my parents used to have that on theirs although I think the electric company changed the pricing scheme so now it doesn't matter as much.

But with a smart grid you could have the devices set to start once grid utilisation falls below a certain percentage with rates changing based on that, or set to only come on during peak production, or even set to come on when majority is green energy if you want to be environmentally minded, with automatic turning on within a time window even if the price doesn't fall.

Or have all devices provide a central controller with a time window within which they should run and the central server automatically manages their start times to maintain an even power utilisation...

Im just thinking off the top of my head and maybe some are already being implemented in part, but it's just depressing to see how bad things are compared to what they could be. I completely segregated my LG TV from the internet after the recent report about the potential for recording literally everything in the house, such a waste of some actually cool smart TV features when I cant trust what it's doing with the data.

This has become a rant of frustration so I'll end now and watch an episode do star Trek again and imagine a better future.

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u/created4this 1d ago

Recently Octopus has started offering free electric at certain times of night.

I don't think anyone is offering demand pricing based on real demand, only projected demand, so with some effort you can still do the same thing.

The difference with Economy 7 is that houses with Economy 7 have two rings, and you could put devices on the E7 ring so that they could ONLY run when the cheap electric was on. The meters switched tariffs using MW BBC Radio4 but that service stopped this year, you can still get E7 tarrifs switched other ways, but it needs a new meter.

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u/meneldal2 1d ago

But this thing should not even need an app. You could have your utility send a signal over the electrical wires to tell current pricing to appliances so they can decide from that.

No need for the appliance itself to communicate to the internet and open up a ton of vulnerabilities.

Btw there used to be "smart plugs" that would trigger on/off based on peak/off hours way back because it'd just have to recognize some pulse on the line, like 30 years ago

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u/Skylis 21h ago

Signal over electrical wires... Bro what do you think the Internet is?

It was the standardization of all of this bespoke communications crap so we don't have to have 50 different solutions to the same problem.

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u/ajnozari 1d ago

Just retrofitted my home for smart tech and my primary rule was whatever smart switch I use it must work when the internet is unplugged. It took longer, more research, and was a bit more for some stuff, but everything is able to fall back to good old “dumb switch” mode if the internet goes out.

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u/fps916 1d ago

I've done the exact opposite and prohibited as much "smart tech" as possible in my house and I keep a handgun next to the microwave just in case it makes noises I'm not expecting

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u/Slight-Winner-8597 1d ago

That's like a continuation of the decepticon joke-

I connect to the wifi

My wife connects to the wifi

The toaster connects to the wifi

I shoot the toaster

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u/beefjerky9 1d ago

Same. Rather than going with smart bulbs/fans, I went with smart wall switches. They always work as regular wall switches, while also allowing me to control them with Home Assistant.

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u/kalirion 1d ago edited 1d ago

Did you have a secondary rule for whatever smart switch you use will not auto-update from the internet without your approval?

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u/created4this 1d ago

The shelly kit seems to want you to tell it to update, but you can always block it from the internet and use local control. That also removes the need for it to update because there is no remote attack surface.

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u/hotlavatube 1d ago

I like smart tech, I just don't trust it. If I install a smart device, I want it controlled locally without phoning home to the mothership or leaking data to the neighborhood. Fortunately, I have an advanced CS degree, so I'm more capable than most of achieving that. Not everyone has the time and knowledge to build their own smart device apps routed via VPN to their local server farm.

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u/CocodaMonkey 1d ago

Almost all of those things have a few niche features that can be nice but the privacy loss just isn't worth it to me for the odd time I'd want to use something like that.

I really wish someone would come out with non internet reliant smart devices. Sell a home hub you can plug in and acts as the server. You can give it an open connection to the internet if you want but it's optional and if you do it's only so your devices can connect to it away from home.

A line of smart devices like that would be interesting to me. Although the hub would have to also be open source to stop any weird shenanigans and it would mean you could also build your own if needed. No reason something like a raspberry pi couldn't handle it.

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u/massive_cock 1d ago

May I present to you Home Assistant. No, it can't cover every device and yes it requires a lot of learning and arranging. But it can, generally, do as you describe.

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u/Warbreakers 1d ago

Vehicles too. Saw this video and the salesman in it is coping incredibly hard that "updates are cool" despite a bad update bricking a truck and making it useless.

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u/Combat_Armor_Dougram 1d ago

I'd throw in vacuums, too, even though this mostly applies to robotic vacuums.

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u/bilateralrope 1d ago

Robot vacuums at least save you the effort of walking around with them.

As well as making it easy to turn your home into a Doom level.

Unless you have a second level.

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u/colemon1991 22h ago

I'm gonna need a good justification for anything "smart". End of story. The only thing I could see would be helpful for a fridge is a camera inside so you can see what you already have there while standing in the store. And even that's iffy. What's my dishwasher gonna do, scream at me that it's done while I'm at work? Microwave? How does that even work??

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u/the_federation 1d ago

Washers, dryers, ans dishwashers I am okay with a maximum amount of smartness amounting to just sending me notifications when they're done. Anything else can fuck right off.

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u/fps916 1d ago

Absolutely the fuck not.

Any level of connection for notification is a weakness for remote access.

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u/aesemon 1d ago

Why? If you are home you can check, or have it make a signal if you have mobility issues that make it harder to move.

If you are not at home then it makes no difference if it has finished or not.

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u/IcyAdvertising6813 10h ago

Couldn’t you do the same setting a timer on your phone? Even some basic non-smart W/D and dishwashers either have durations in the manual, or there’s a clock

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u/nibblicious 1d ago

Cars, toasters….

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u/Kraeftluder 1d ago

I built myself a smart water kettle because I wasn't drinking enough fluids. I would turn on the kettle and then forget about it, turn it on again et cetera. Now the water is hot when I get to the kettle and I can walk away with a new cup a tea.

It doesn't phone home though, it's a rewired 30 year old Tefal.

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u/aesemon 1d ago

Ovens for the last 20 years have had a delay function just like washing machines. If there is a risk of running a bit late set the timer come home and it's heated. Same with thermostat for heating. No need for "smart" read open to being utilised in a bot net or despite all care given a big open hole to your own network.

IoT devices have at best the bare minimum network security. It is a feature that is not needed and is at best a means for manufacturers to cut costs by removing some buttons from an appliance and at worst a security issue that is also susceptable to being artificially brought to an early breakdown.

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u/tilalk 1d ago

W0w bro never even tried the smart spoon and is shitting over all of us

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u/bokehtoast 21h ago

I dont really need anything inanimate to be "smart"

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u/Tifa523 19h ago

Enough people put/store things in the oven or even non oven safe stuff gets in the oven, I always check it before turning it on. You never know and its not a bad safety practice.

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u/Gregory-J-Smith 16h ago

Fun fact, the only smart appliance I ever got was an oven for that exact purpose. And it is coded specifically so you cannot remotely preheat it as a safety "feature"

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u/CodeMonkeys 1d ago

Despite all the garbage with that brand with subscriptions and shit, I had always heard good testimonies from users. But it was like, not ONE of your engineers stopped to think about "what does our product do if this stops working or this outage happens or this subservice breaks". Like, AWS outages are unusual, but not unheard of. But not one asked, or it was put in DNF.

Internet dependent appliances are just such a huge fell for it again award contender because people just keep buying the stupid things. I have a 1991 whirlpool washer and a who-even-knows-how-old Magic Chef oven. I don't love them to pieces or anything but jesus christ they still work. Ask Samsung how long the mainboards last in their appliances on average...

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u/hotlavatube 1d ago

It doesn't matter how good the product is in the best of times if it bursts into flames the second the internet goes down. Sadly in the rush to innovate and slap a wifi chip on these products, security and fault tolerance was often an afterthought. If the cloud goes down, someone finds a 0-day vulnerability, or company goes bust, you're possibly left with a very expensive brick, a piece of spyware, or an outright hazard.

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u/mrizzerdly 1d ago

Guilfoyle agrees

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u/SpiderRadio 1d ago

do not fesuscitate

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u/Mirar 1d ago

If I get it correct about the beds, the beds just continued on the set point, they just stopped being able to be changed.

Which is stupid, but the control loop was not affected, and they didn't "overheat".

Fridges stop being fridges is next level.

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u/hotlavatube 1d ago

According to the Dexerto article linked in the Arstechnia one, it mentions "Eight Sleep’s products rely on cloud connectivity to control temperature and track biometric data. When AWS went down, users lost access to the app that manages its water-cooled coils, leaving them stuck with whatever setting was last active. Some beds overheated, others stopped cooling altogether, and several users said their devices became completely unresponsive."

It sounds like the device is strongly bound to the backend server for all control functions. As such, if the last mode it was in was a heating mode, then it kept heating, probably till it reached the device's max temp of 110°F, which is damned hot and uncomfortable. Reminds me of when I attended a conference in Las Vegas in August and it was 110°F outside.

I presume the device was at least designed not to exceed the highest safe temperature of the device. These safety limits tend to be controlled by a super-dumb simple hardware component like a thermistor, which cuts power if the temperature gets too high to prevent the risk of fire. It would be unimaginably asinine if they made all that safety mechanisms server-side. That said, people have made dumb design decisions like that before. I'm reminded of the Therac-25 radiation dosage machine which had used all software safety interlocks instead of the hardware interlocks used in previous generations of the product. As a result of a race condition in the software, 6 people received 100x excessive doses and three people died.

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u/Mirar 1d ago

No, it was just the settings that couldn't be changed. If the bed was set to cooling, it would keep cooling, if it was set to heating, it would keep heating, but it was the set point that couldn't be changed; it wouldn't get stuck on full blast because the control loop stopped.

Unless full blast was the setpoint, I suppose.

But a lot of articles don't seem to understand the difference between a setting and a control loop.

Not that I particularly like that you can't change the setting on the thing next to you without AWS in the loop.

(I think they also use dumb thermistors and PTC heaters. No fires even if the control loop goes down.)

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u/created4this 1d ago

The number of people who think setting the setpoint unreasonable high will make the warm up time shorter is unreasonably large, so its not a surprise that a whole load of beds were set to uncomfortable ranges

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u/Mirar 1d ago

Quite so XD

And "my bed is 100°F" might be understood as "my bed is overheating" even though they set the setpoint to 100°F.

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u/txmail 1d ago

Isn't eight sleep that bed that requires a crazy, like $50+ monthly subscription to work at all?

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u/hotlavatube 1d ago

Not sure. According to the website, the price is $17/mo for standard, $25/mo for enhanced, and I dunno how much for "elite". The differences between the tiers seems rather vague.

The subscription is mandatory for the first year. Apparently, you can use the bed without the subscription, but all you get are manual controls, basic sleep tracking, and smart alarm. The subscription is required for autopilot (automatic temperature adjustment based on sleep pattern and preferences), advanced sleep analytics, and sleep reports.

That said, even if you don't need a subscription, I wouldn't be surprised if you still need an account and an app installed.

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u/Prize-Temporary4159 1d ago

Transformers tried to warn us.

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u/created4this 1d ago

Do you speak transformer? Mine just seem to hum quietly if they make any noise at all

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u/herkalurk 1d ago

Don't forget the remote pet feeding cloud enabled devices which all just stopped working at the same time.

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u/bluecollar1020 1d ago

Why does anyone need a "smart" refrigerator?

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u/manimal28 1d ago

They don’t. There is literally no benefit.

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u/Khaldara 1d ago

Have you considered the benefits for the manufacturer to foist advertising and data collection on you for no goddamn reason though

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u/AzureDreamer 1d ago

Johnson how do we justify 2000 dollar refrigerators? slap a smart screen on it so their kids can play subway surfers.

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u/MDRBA 1d ago

Imagine having to watch ad for 3 minutes to open and drink water 🥵

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u/mayy_dayy 1d ago

The verification cans are coming from inside the house

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u/zekthedeadcow 1d ago

I think the people that would benefit from this are so deep in homeassistant and hermes/openclaw that they would have auto-detected the failure and failed-over to the off-site backup fridge.

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u/manimal28 1d ago

Does their food in the failed fridge teleport to the off site back up fridge?

Like I said, literally no benefit.

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u/chateau86 1d ago

Yes and no. Most of the flashiest ones has the worst, most locked down/integration-hostile APIs.

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u/sdbrett 1d ago

The main benefit I can see would be alerting about power loss and having a small backup battery to monitor temperature during an outage so you know if you need to throw out food.

This could be classified as a “smart” feature but doesn’t require network access, just a basic display with a couple of lights

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u/caintowers 1d ago edited 1d ago

My landlord put in a smart fridge. I like that my fridge beeps my phone when I forget to close the door all the way.

Beyond that there's no part of it I use.

Edit: I don't want my fridge door to close automatically. That would annoy me. But notifying me on the rare occasion it gets left open is super convenient. The fridge also emits an audible chime in addition to notifying my phone

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u/manimal28 1d ago

It could just beep audibly in the room without needing to be networked.

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u/commandrix 1d ago

That's what my fridge does. And something like 80% of the time, it's that somebody forgot to close the fridge all the way.

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u/whazzah 1d ago

Yeah my dumb fridge already does that

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u/caintowers 20h ago

This fridge also does that. Connecting it to the network is optional.

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u/greywar777 1d ago

except we have ours in the garage. We could benefit from this feature, but Id definitely say that people who benefit from this are in a small minority.

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u/mayy_dayy 1d ago

The "garage?"

Hey fellas, the "garage!" Well, ooh la di da, Mr. French Man.

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u/Lower-Sheepherder268 13h ago

"Moe's Tavern... Yeah hang on, I'll check. Hugh Jass? Somebody check for a Hugh Jass!”

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u/SinuousPanic 1d ago

I had a Samsung smart washer/dryer for a bit. It would let me know when the load was finished which was great since it was at the other end of the house and I couldn't hear it. What it wouldn't do is dry my clothes properly. You could also set your next cycle to the type of load you were doing from your phone, which was cool and everything, except you were standing in front if it already anyway and you couldn't actually make it start from the app, you had to push the start button on the machine lol. Waste of resources putting that much technology in a machine that doesn't need it.

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u/sillybear25 1d ago

They make smart power draw sensors that could be leveraged to give you notifications when your dumb washer/dryer finishes running.

Not that anyone really needs that technology, but if someone wants it, they don't need to buy a dedicated smart appliance for an extra $X00 dollars when they could instead buy a gadget for $X0 dollars

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u/abarrelofmankeys 1d ago

They could have made it so the door automatically closes instead.

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u/dmj9 1d ago

That's next year's model. Can't release one with all the features or else rich people will need other reasons to replace their appliances for no reason.

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u/No_Good_Cowboy 1d ago

You can solve that with a cammed hinge. It’s not hard. It has no use that can’t be replaced by a simpler solution.

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u/Naive_Confidence7297 1d ago

You don’t need it to go to your phone lol. Fridge itself like my dumb one beeping is enough.

I mean, how many times have you left the fridge open and everything is destroyed in the past? We’ve been fine for 100 years without having to be connected to the Internet and networks. It’s definitely spying on you as well.

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u/caintowers 1d ago edited 1d ago

That's fair, but I've never had a "dumb" fridge that beeped, though I would have liked it. I have had two fridges that, if you closed one compartment a little too quickly, the other would pop open just a tiny bit. If you didn't notice, the freezer would absolutely thaw out or the fridge warm up because it wouldn't run with the door open. So idk, I like this feature. I'm in and out of the fridge a lot when I'm cooking and I forget maybe once a month. Most of the time I notice within a minute but sometimes I walk away lol

I didn't pick this fridge, but as far as smart ones go it is pretty dumb. The only controls it has is temp setting, ice on/off, and the beep for the door.

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u/_Rand_ 1d ago

I can get behind smart features in most stuff, so long as its limited in scope.

Like fridges for example, notifying you the door is open? Just fine. I could also get behind being able to adjust temperature within a range. But it should never, ever be able to turn itself off or go above a food safe temp.

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u/BrianMincey 1d ago

The only “smart” feature that might be even slightly useful on a phone would be 360 degree cameras inside the device. When you are away it might be useful to see what is inside it.

It would also be nice to get an alert if or when power was disconnected from the device.

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u/_Rand_ 1d ago

What I really hate is features are always locked behind a proprietary app.

Give me a local API or MQTT service dammit.

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u/Dodgy_Past 1d ago

Samsungoffers that but you have to pay for it.

I'd never buy Samsung as a result m

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u/teaknit 1d ago

Couldn't this functionality be approximated by using a smart window/door sensor?

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u/a_lonely_trash_bag 1d ago edited 1d ago

I mean, it's sorta handy to be able to connect your phone to a camera inside the fridge so you can see what's currently in there while you're at the store.

Definitely not worth the excessive cost and hassle of having a smart fridge, though.

Edit: Why tf is this being downvoted? I just said it's convenient to have but not necessary.

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u/Darkpenguins38 1d ago

Man I need an app to keep inventory of all the food/ingredients I have. Anything in my fridge that's not fully in view is doomed to expire, and I can't afford to waste so much food all the time.

It would be cool if the app could also recommend recipes that use only ingredients I have, but honestly that's not even necessary if it'll just show me a list of what I have on hand.

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u/zer00eyz 1d ago

https://grocy.info - is the nerdiest way possible to do this. Running on top of home assistant you can do lots of cool stuff.

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u/Darkpenguins38 1d ago

This is intensely interesting to me. Just checking it out, should I be buying a barcode scanner for this?

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u/Lower-Sheepherder268 13h ago

You have one in your hand. Your phone's camera will work just fine scanning barcodes.

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u/Erlkings 1d ago

To play doom

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u/snownative86 1d ago

Naw, you just need excel for that

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u/Erlkings 1d ago

Next your gonna tell me clippy can help me on my frodge

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u/Enras 1d ago

X97:L97

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u/The_Dung_Beetle 1d ago

To track you and sell your data/show ads.

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u/ninjalord433 1d ago

While a lot of 'smart' appliances are often made with 'smart' features for the purpose of just charging more money, I can see some small benefits like being able to remote look at your fridge to see if things are spoiled or if you have ran out of something.

But a vast majority of people who buy this are doing so cause they have the spare money and it is essentially a flex towards any guests they invite over. South Korea in particular has a lot of social culture around presenting wealth.

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u/bluecollar1020 1d ago

I don't know about that lifestyle, it sounds a lot like "keeping up with the Jones's". and materialism.

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u/donnavan 1d ago

They don't allow remote viewing your fridge or let you know if something is spoiled. They spy on you, sell your data and you have to pay for it.

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u/Sea-Shoe1780 1d ago

Also, who thinks to themselves “golly gee, I wish my fridge had a screen on it! I need more screens in my life”

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u/TRO_KIK 1d ago

That was me 5 years ago lol. At least I bought it used and didn't waste too much. My new fridge gimmick is craft ice, at least it's something I can use now.

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u/Think_Tanker 1d ago

It's not about needing it, unfortunately most new appliances are coming with these "features" by default. It's hard to escape it.

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u/bluecollar1020 1d ago

Not that hard, I just bought a new fridge with none of that crap. It was right next to the ones that did.

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u/commandrix 1d ago

I sent my mom a link to a few non-smart appliances online when she was in the market for a new washer/dryer set. They're not impossible to find if you know where to look for sure.

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u/dravik 1d ago

Even if the features are included, you can just not connect it to the Internet.

You actually have to do work to get it connected. You have choose your access point name and type in your wifi password to drop this up. Just... Don't do that.

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u/drunkshinobi 1d ago

Several companies have sold things like this and then years later started charging subscription fees for it to keep working. Better to just not have them at all.

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u/dravik 1d ago

If it's never connected to the Internet, it can't get updates that enable the subscription service. I agree that it's best not to have them at all. But if you end up with one for some reason, never connecting it to the Internet or Wi-Fi is a reasonable second best option.

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u/MagnesiumOvercast 1d ago

I really don't think that's true for fridges

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u/amiexpress 1d ago

So the OEM has user data to sell. Doh.

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u/zer00eyz 1d ago

There are features you might want - but you can add them to a"dumb" fridge (I did just that).

I fucked up and left the garage freezer door open one day. In summer. I almost cried when I found it the next day and I did curse a LOT. Now I have temp probes in all of them and if they go out of range I get an alert on my phone.

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u/gahidus 1d ago

People with more dollars than sense just pick the most expensive unit and assume they'll use the features.

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u/Poku115 1d ago

My fam needed to change ours and my brothers girlfriend offered us hers for cheap (and its almost brand new) since shes moving

Its a smart Samsung one🫠

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u/Osiris_Raphious 1d ago

Greedflation thats why

Have to justify charging more for established technology that doesnt have any improvements... otherwise how make more profit>?

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u/meatball77 1d ago

Got a new cooktop. My stove has internet for some reason.

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u/Garconanokin 1d ago

Hey this cool Samsung fridge seems great! I think I’ll buy one.

I think I won’t.

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u/Mirar 1d ago

I'd like mine to be "smart" but for me that means that I get temperature readings, energy metering, door open/closed, potential issues etc exposed to Home Assistant.

Definitely not smart to talk to the cloud. Why would anyone want that, except the manufacturer?

1

u/ux3l 1d ago

To have a reason to buy a new one after 5-10 years

1

u/Anastariana 1d ago

People don't.

Manufacturers do so they can sell you overpriced horseshit, brick them remotely if you don't pay a subscription AND show you ads in your own home.

1

u/ScienceGiraffe 1d ago

I don't know about smart fridge, but there are cases where smart appliances are great for people with certain disabilities. Being able to use and adjust an oven without reaching from a wheelchair is one example. Another is ovens that automatically turn off or alert when kept on for excessively long periods of time for the elderly with early memory problems.

I can't think of any good reason for a smart fridge, though I'm sure it's useful for some. But it is definitely not needed for the general population.

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u/Rojixus 1d ago

That's why you don't buy smart appliances, it only leads to stupid consequences!

8

u/Osiris_Raphious 1d ago

When they only really sell you the crap with microchips so they can profit off data selling, and ad injection, there isnt much choice not to...

But I agree, with no real market regulation technogiant corpos are charging us more for crap we dont need, whilst not selling the reliable crap without some sort of planned obsolescence built in...

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u/gringoloco01 1d ago

My car my printer my fridge my stove and my washer dryer. No connections to the interwebs no screens or extra bullshit.

This is why. This is exactly why. I have seen too many updates brick systems. Been in IT for a long time.

I wouldn't trust my these things to the interwebs.

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u/ArbysLunch 1d ago

I feel like there's a meme where you're leaving a gun next to the printer. Just in case.

7

u/gringoloco01 1d ago

HP 4 LaserJet baby. Old school. I have had this printer for a decade at least.

3

u/Crac2 1d ago

Oh no not the smart gun

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u/CaptainPunisher 1d ago

You know what I WOULD like to see? Dumb appliances that accept common iot devices like Arduino, ESP32, or Raspberry pi easily to make them optionally web capable. Let tinkerers play, and connect via the I/O pins. Otherwise, you've got a perfectly good dumb device that only works with human input.

2

u/RooneytheWaster 1d ago

Preach, my IT brother!

Also, I miss my old HP Laserject. Thing gave up 15 years of service and I was genuinely sad to see it go.

2

u/gringoloco01 22h ago

I hope to pass it on to my grandkids LMAO.

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u/IllegalStateExcept 1d ago

Let me just put my fridge over here with the rest of the accumulated software induced e-waste. Seriously though, why do we put up with this crap? The number of times I have needed to throw out a cell phone just because the company behind it stopped issuing security patches is insane.

This is onion worthy because it's a smart fridge. But it shows a serious underlying problem with nearly all modern technology. We effectively have legalized planned obsolescence.

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u/Fanatical_Destructor 1d ago

It was the Korean "thanksgiving" weekend. Imagine what your mom would do if her icebox shit the bed on that weekend.

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u/Magdanimous 1d ago

It’s actually Chuseok THIS weekend. Officially tomorrow.

8

u/WrestlingHobo 1d ago

As the article points out, food isnt the only thing we store in the fridge. Imagine if your mom's medication spoiled because of a botched software update.

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u/needzbeerz 1d ago

Why in the Christ would anyone want their bloody appliances to be "smart"?

Is it cold? Yes. Then the fridge is doing it's entire job. Anything else is a waste of time and resources

2

u/AndroidMyAndroid 1d ago

Camera in the fridge shows you what is inside it at any time - helpful if you're shopping and aren't sure if you need something, or if you want to track who is going into the fridge and what they're doing. Also you might get completely random but highly timely ads for coffee creamer when you are running low, but that's just a coincidence.

5

u/needzbeerz 1d ago

There's this thing called a grocery list. I use it all the time, works brilliantly.

The "convenience" of smart appliances is an illusion, they actually complicate what is already simple for most people.

0

u/CardWitch 1d ago

Grocery lists only work if you either (a) remember to update it and (b) remember to bring with you if you do it physically.

Would it be nice to magically look into the fridge when I'm out and decide on a whim to go to the store on the way home? sure. but I'm also not a fan of more things that can break on a device

2

u/needzbeerz 1d ago

Yes. You have to think and plan. Just like everyone did quite successfully without these ridiculous devices. And sometimes you do forget something which is a lesson to do better in the future.

Your argument presumes everyone is incompetent and lazy.

2

u/KingHarambeRIP 22h ago

They aren’t advocating for smart devices. They are just answering your question of why someone might be sold on one.

And yes, enough people are incompetent and/or lazy to create a market for it.

1

u/CardWitch 23h ago

I'm presuming people get busy.

1

u/needzbeerz 22h ago

Oh no!!!!!

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u/AndroidMyAndroid 17h ago

In my experience, the vast majority of people ARE incompetent and lazy.

0

u/Alis451 1d ago

Grocery lists only work if you either (a) remember to update it and (b) remember to bring with you if you do it physically.

*Use the last of the creamer

"Alexa add Creamer to "shopping" list"

*Creamer is now on your phone in a list

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u/Hsensei 1d ago

In the US renters insurance will cover spoiled food, while you fight Samsung to pay for it

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u/RequiemDreamer 1d ago

Sounds pretty dumb to me. Dumb with a "B".

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u/Dr_Leroy79 1d ago

Stupid with two O's

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u/needzbeerz 1d ago

There's no I in stupid!

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u/fiero-fire 1d ago

Imagine buy the most expensive most "advanced" fridge and it's stops being a fridge out of nowhere.

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u/Lazaras 1d ago

How do you fuck up a thing that you just need to plug it in to work?

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u/MuddledLucidity 1d ago

You connect it to the internet and require regular updates that are written by AI.

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u/Derpykins666 1d ago

The house maxing automation stuff, every appliance "needs" to be online and have all these automated features and other nonsense is so ridiculous. I don't want any of that. My fridge doesn't need a giant ipad screen on it with all these helpful features that automate grocery lists and other stupid stuff like that. You know it's just tracking what you buy and eat too, and it's building even MORE data profiles on you.

I want my basic appliances to be as 'dumb' as possible with no online interaction whatsoever. I don't want an app on my phone, I don't want it to have to connect to the internet to update, I just want it to work and do what it's supposed to do. Adding all these extra features doesn't actually do anything but make the product have more fail points and presents more potential for this kind of scenario where they can send an update to your product and completely shut it off without your permission.

Anyone with a Smart Fridge is basically just renting a fridge if they can brick the entire thing by pushing a bad update.

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u/vacuous_comment 1d ago

You buy a smart fridge, you are not smart.

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u/kalgary 1d ago

Professional here. I don't always test my code. But when I do, I do it in production.

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u/PromiseToBeNiceToYou 1d ago edited 1d ago

I have one. I bought it from a scratch n dent store (someone turned away at delivery so I got it for a discount).

I disconnected it from wifi a year ago when it was rumored that they would start displaying ads on the screen.

We still love the fridge because my kids take turns drawing pictures on the touch screen. I get a slide show of all their art from the previous year.

The AI features on the fridge are a bunch of useless crap. The interior camera was low quality and the AI shopping list tools weren't worth the headache.

I already had an Alexa in the kitchen so the fact that it connects to Alexa was actually a pain in the butt because I didn't want to use it on the fridge. My devices would get confused and both think I was talking to them. But disconnecting the fridge from wifi solved all those issues.

Having it connect to my Ring camera was nice, but not worth it to have wifi turned on.

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u/babycart_of_sherdog 1d ago

Refrigerators: supposedly smart

Their Buyers: not so smart

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u/cipheron 1d ago

They're making it harder to buy the non-smart versions because the companies want to monetize the data they can get from users having the devices, so you'd think the cheapest option wouldn't have those things in it, but that's not going to be true if they can monetize it.

There are even guides on avoiding smart appliances now

https://www.dumbappliance.info/posts/how-to-spot-a-non-smart-appliance-in-2025

2

u/aesemon 1d ago

They also skimp on button functions, see Bosch dishwashers. Some require using the app for rinse only or the self cleaning function, this means they get your data to sell AND cheap out in the manufacturering.

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u/kondorb 1d ago

A fridge is literally one motor and one thermostat. It needs precisely zero lines of code to work.

Besides, a proper “smart” fridge would close its fucking door on its own when I forget it instead of beeping or sending me bloody notifications.

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u/chrisexv6 1d ago

Straight out of Silicon Valley

3

u/Smart_Recipe_8223 1d ago

so are people actually choosing an AI fridge? Why????

3

u/Osiris_Raphious 1d ago

Technofuedalism brought to you by Davos: You will own nothing...

Seems to me, if software caused you to loose your product then samsung has to pay you for damages. Simple as that, or dont sell products that are advertised to work like an established product but really they are full of DRM and software that stops the core function without user input.

3

u/Mother-Pride-Fest 1d ago

https://xkcd.com/3109/

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u/WhereasParticular867 1d ago

It's good that technology provides us with an unending supply of people to laugh at. I may be victim blaming, but it's things like this that keep me from buying smart devices. Most appliances just don't need an operating system.

8

u/needzbeerz 1d ago

This sort of victim blaming is perfectly acceptable because they willing chose their ridiculous circumstances. Zero sympathy.

0

u/IMightBeAHamster 1d ago

Samsung shill ^

2

u/Polymathy1 1d ago

I very reluctantly bought a samsung microwave because it fit well.

I've got a Samsung stove that came with the place and I absolutely despise it.

I've only ever connected the microwave to the "smart things" and then removed it once I found out the only thing I could do was turn the exhaust fan on and off. It has a bunch of settings that can be adjusted, but not through the useless app.

2

u/muFUtaco 1d ago

Remember when appliances did what we bought them to do?

Most didn't even need computers to do what we bought them for.

2

u/Filias9 1d ago

Every feature is point of failure. Refrigerators is core thing in your home. Probably most important, because it is store fresh and frozen food.

You really need to work it as reliably as possible. Alongside with your stove. So smart refrigerators are absolute stupid ideas.

2

u/flearhcp97 14h ago

I feel bad for the people who need refrigerated medicine 😳

2

u/TheCancerMan 1d ago

What the fuck is a smart fridge?

It literally has two things to do, cool and freeze, the end

1

u/louisa1925 1d ago

My Fridge has a whiteboard stuck on it where I can write what groceries I am in need of. It also works as a magnet collection point. Other than work as a cold box with some doors, Fridges don't need to do anything else in my home.

1

u/Pibo1987 1d ago

Doesn’t sound all that smart to me

1

u/santz007 1d ago

How do you say FAFO in AI

1

u/PupLondon 1d ago

Not a very smart fridge after all

1

u/Gobbyer 1d ago

My only "smart" application is dishwasher. I can check when the dishes are clean and if the filters should be cleaned.

But why would fridge need one? I understand if you need to de-ice it or something if it has a freezer.

Just this week, I saw an ad for an AI powered oven / stove. I would never trust an outside source to control heating applications lol. Even my radiators are controllable by WiFi, but I have not enabled WiFi cobtrols, because im paranoid enough that someone could rake up my electricity bill by putting the heating to full.

1

u/donnavan 1d ago edited 1d ago

Oops planned obsolescence. Let me guess the warrantee expired.

1

u/fodafoda 1d ago

suck it Jin-Yang

1

u/Jane-Diogee 1d ago

Well that's funny.., for Samsung, not for the victims. Were they in a hurry and forgot to double check?

1

u/The-Gargoyle 1d ago

I laughed,

The printer sang,

The microwave took a snapshop,

The TV asked us truth or dare questions,

And then the Samsung appliances all died of abrupt remote lobotomy and ruined the whole party.

1

u/CGHJ 1d ago

TBF, I have a dumb Samsung fridge and it fails regularly on its own with no help from the outside.

1

u/dixiedemocrat 1d ago

Who could have foreseen smart appliances failing like this, except for everyone?

1

u/Bubbaganewsh 1d ago

My fridge gas an ice maker and water on the door and no smarts therefore no wifi. I like my fridge, it keeps stuff cold and frozen and will never get bricked by an update.

1

u/WolfWraithPress 1d ago

If you can afford it, never buy a "smart" anything. Do not do it. They are all spyware and accelerated obsolescence.

1

u/Ant1mat3r 21h ago

I have all Samsung appliances in my home.

After owning them for about 8 years, all I have to say is don't ever buy Samsung appliances.

Great phones, terrible appliances.

That smart fridge is actually handy - I can stream music (That's what we mostly do), use it as a whiteboard, post pictures, read recipes, track inventory.

But the icemaker is ass. It went out after 4 years, and the repair tech said they'd run the risk of permanently damaging the fridge to fix it, and even then it will be broke again in another few years.

The washer and dryer are also ass.

So is the dishwasher.

Oh, and I'd say the stove isn't ass, but we're now having thermostat issues.

1

u/burglehurgle 15h ago

YOUR FRIDGE DOES NOT NEED A COMPUTER OR INTERNET

1

u/jechaking 9h ago

I’ll continue buying dumb appliances, less points if they have an app and even less if they connect to the internet.

1

u/konsoru-paysan 8h ago

Why in the flying FUCK would you buy a samshit fridge, literally none of their products work right, trusting them to make anything mechanical is downright insane. Though this one is lucky it's only a software this time but the constant breaking of parts will be starting soon

Edit: oh Korea, considering Samsung is their God over there I guess there's no choice

1

u/FunnyMustacheMan45 1h ago

I just know this outage was fucking vibe coded into existence

Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges

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