A software update has left some smart refrigerators inoperative Samsung and has forced its owners to throw away the food they stored. According to Ars Technica, the incidents affect the range Bespoke AI and focus on four-door models from 2024 or later.
‘The problem has been limited to Korea and no effects have been detected in other markets. It occurred on the afternoon of September 22 due to to an error during internal Samsung tests related to a refrigerator software update‘, the company explained to the media.
The Spanish owners are, therefore, outside the scope of the ruling. Samsung has not provided a number of affected devices, although the South Korean media SBS has reported hundreds of cases reported by clients.
The Bespoke AI range incorporates different connected functions that vary depending on the model and market. Some refrigerators have interior chambers and a system called AI Vision Inside that recognizes certain foods when you insert or remove them, allowing you to maintain an inventory of their contents and receive recipe recommendations with the available ingredients.
The versions equipped with a screen also allow you to consult information and control other home devices compatible with SmartThings. Available features include voice commands via Bixbyshopping lists and expiration notices for registered foods, as well as functions that adjust the operation of the refrigerator to reduce its electricity consumption.
The problems appeared when users tried to update their refrigerators through SmartThings, Samsung’s connected home platform. According to testimonies collected by Korean media, some devices suddenly turned off and stopped working, while the application began to show them as disconnected. Other owners found the screen locked with the message ‘Checking the SmartThings app during update’.
One of those affected told the South Korean Samsung forum about the consequences he had suffered after the update. ‘The cooling and freezing functions themselves were not working properly, so all the food in the refrigerator had to be thrown away’wrote.
The breakdown occurred shortly before Chuseokone of the main Korean holidays, dedicated to celebrating the autumn harvest. The proximity of these celebrations aggravated the discomfort of those They had trusted an official update and found themselves unable to preserve food.
Some customers claim that customer service initially warned them that a technician may not come until October due to a shortage of available personnel. Samsung later announced an emergency response and, according to ZDNET Korea, had planned to repair some devices by September 24.
‘Samsung immediately suspended testing after receiving notice of the problem. Samsung has activated an emergency response protocol and its service centers are taking immediate measures to resolve it,’ the company tells Ars Technica.
A Samsung representative has also addressed those affected through the community forum. ‘We will do everything possible so that our customers do not suffer losses during the Chuseok holidays’he assured, although the company did not respond to the media’s questions about the measures it will take to prevent it from happening again.