'Our Food Needs To Be Thrown Out': Samsung AI Fridges 'Freeze' After Update, Leaving Owners Furious

Samsung owners have been left furious after some of the company's Bespoke AI refrigerators reportedly stopped functioning following a software update, leaving food at risk of spoiling just days before South Korea's Chuseok holiday.

The problems began on 22 September after customers received refrigerator software-update notifications through Samsung's SmartThings platform. Some owners said their refrigerators suddenly stopped working, while others reported losing cooling power, frozen screens and internal lights that no longer functioned. Samsung has acknowledged that an update intended for internal testing was mistakenly distributed to some customers and has launched an emergency recovery operation.

Samsung Fridges Suddenly Stop Working After Update

Customers began posting complaints after installing the software through SmartThings, with several saying their refrigerators became unusable almost immediately afterwards.

One customer said their refrigerator had been purchased less than a year earlier but had lost almost all of its cooling after the update. Another reported that ice cream had started melting and that food had to be moved into a separate kimchi refrigerator to keep it cold. Some customers also said that switching the power off and on again failed to solve the problem.

Reports have largely centred on Samsung's Bespoke AI four-door refrigerators, including some RM70F and RM80F models, although the company has been working to determine exactly which products were affected.

'Our Food Needs To Be Thrown Out'

The timing has made the incident especially frustrating for affected households.

Chuseok is one of South Korea's major holidays, and many families stock their refrigerators with fresh ingredients and prepared food before the celebrations begin. Some customers said they had specifically filled their refrigerators ahead of the holiday, only to discover that their appliances had stopped cooling.

One customer complained that they had trusted Samsung enough to install an official update, only to find themselves unable to use the refrigerator before Chuseok. Other users described the situation as absurd and embarrassing, particularly because they had little time to find alternative storage for their food.

For some households, the immediate concern was whether meat, fruit, frozen products and homemade holiday dishes would have to be thrown away.

Test Update Was Accidentally Distributed

Samsung has blamed the incident on an error during the software-testing process rather than a hardware defect in the refrigerators themselves.

The company said a testing file was mistakenly distributed to some customers during Tuesday's update. After recognising the problem, Samsung stopped distributing the software and formed an emergency response team to restore affected appliances.

Samsung said it was targeting 24 September to complete the recovery process and promised that necessary repair costs would be covered. The company also said it planned to contact customers who had not yet requested assistance.

However, the company's response did not immediately resolve every concern.

Will Samsung Pay for Spoiled Food?

One of the biggest unanswered questions is whether customers will be compensated for food that was ruined because of the failed update.

Samsung has said it is reviewing compensation for spoiled food, but a final policy had not been established when the complaints emerged. That could prove complicated because customers may have difficulty proving the value of homemade meals, frozen products or food purchased specifically for the holiday.

The issue also goes beyond the cost of groceries. Customers have questioned how an official software update could interfere with the fundamental cooling functions of an appliance that may have been working perfectly beforehand.

The Bigger Problem With 'Smart' Appliances

The incident highlights one of the stranger consequences of turning everyday appliances into connected devices.

Samsung has increasingly promoted AI-powered refrigerators as part of a wider smart-home ecosystem, with features designed to recognise food, provide personalised information and connect with other household devices.

But the latest failure demonstrates that software can also introduce a new point of failure into something as basic as keeping food cold.

A traditional refrigerator can still break down because of a hardware fault, but an internet-connected appliance can potentially develop problems after receiving a remote software update.

For the affected Samsung owners, that distinction is probably little comfort. They trusted an official update, lost access to their refrigerators and were suddenly faced with the possibility of throwing away their holiday food.

Now, many will be waiting to see whether Samsung can restore their appliances quickly, and whether the company ultimately accepts responsibility for the food that was lost along the way.