Samsung Halts SmartThings Fridge Update After Bespoke AI Refrigerators Stop Working
Samsung has paused a SmartThings software update after some Bespoke AI 4-Door refrigerator owners reported that their appliances shut down immediately after installing it.
The issue began surfacing in South Korea on September 22, just days before the Chuseok holiday, a time when many households store large amounts of holiday food. According to customer reports shared on Samsung’s community forum, users received an update notification through the SmartThings app, installed it, and then found their refrigerators either completely unresponsive or stuck on an update screen.
Several owners said their fridge lights stopped working, the touch display would not respond, and cooling appeared to fail. Others reported that unplugging the refrigerator and reconnecting it did not solve the problem. For families preparing for the holiday, the timing made the failure especially frustrating, with some customers saying they feared they would have to throw away food meant for Chuseok gatherings.
The affected models appear to be mainly from Samsung’s Bespoke AI 4-Door refrigerator lineup released from 2024 onward. Reports from South Korea indicate that the problem was caused by internal test software being accidentally sent to regular customers through the update system.
Samsung has acknowledged the mistake and stopped the update rollout. The company apologized for the inconvenience and said affected owners should request a service visit, as the refrigerator needs to be inspected in person by a technician.
In the meantime, Samsung has advised customers to move food to ice boxes or other cold storage options until repairs can be completed. Some users, however, said they had trouble booking service appointments due to heavy demand.
The repair schedule has become another point of concern. With the Chuseok holiday approaching, some customers claimed they were told that service would not be available until after the break. Samsung’s service division has said it will keep engineers and call center staff available during the holiday period to handle urgent cases involving cooling failures.
At this stage, Samsung has not confirmed how many refrigerators were affected by the faulty SmartThings update. The company has also not announced whether it will compensate customers for spoiled food or other losses.
For now, affected owners are relying on temporary solutions such as ice boxes and dry ice while waiting for technician visits. The incident highlights the risks of connected home appliances when software updates go wrong, especially when core household devices like refrigerators depend on smart systems to operate properly.
