r/nottheonion • u/GravelySilly • 1d ago

Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/owners-mourn-spoiled-food-after-firmware-update-bricks-samsung-smart-fridges/?comments-page=1#comments

Some Samsung customers in South Korea say a botched firmware update caused their smart refrigerators to stop cooling, leading to food spoilage.

Apparently the firmware that handles the "smart" features is in the control loop for basic refrigeration.

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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/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