On Tuesday, several Samsung smart fridges stopped working after receiving a firmware update, according to reports from Korean outlets. Star News Korea, via a Google‑provided translation, said the issue primarily affected Samsung’s Bespoke AI line, especially four‑door models from 2024 or later. The fridges “suddenly lost power and stopped functioning immediately after” attempting to install the update through SmartThings, Samsung’s smart‑home platform. After the update attempt, the SmartThings app displayed the devices as offline, and some users noted that the internal screen remained stuck on the message “Checking SmartThings app during update.” Numerous complaints appeared on Samsung’s Korean community forum, with some owners stating they had possessed the affected fridge for a year or less. One forum participant wrote, per a translation, that “[t]he refrigeration and refrigeration functions themselves did not work normally, so all the food in the refrigerator had to be disposed of.” Samsung did not respond to Ars Technica’s inquiries about how it intends to prevent similar incidents, how many units are affected, or which countries are involved. SBS Korea reported that customers have filed hundreds of cases related to the problem. The complaints appear to be limited to Korea, where the timing exacerbated the impact because the failures occurred just before Chuseok, the autumn‑harvest holiday that began on Thursday. A forum user, again via a Google‑provided translation, remarked that “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.” As of the article’s publication, Samsung had not issued a public statement detailing remedial actions or compensation plans for the affected owners.
Key facts
- Samsung smart fridges lost power after a firmware update
- Affected models are Bespoke AI four‑door fridges from 2024 or later
- Update attempted via SmartThings left devices offline
- Users reported spoiled food due to loss of refrigeration
- Hundreds of cases filed in Korea; issue coincides with Chuseok holiday