Samsung accidentally freezes its smart fridges with a software update

Samsung accidentally freezes its smart fridges with a software update androidauthority.com

246 points•Markoff•8 days ago•283 comments•

#software #samsung #smart #accidentally #fridges #freezes #samsung accidentally #accidentally freezes

283 comments

We ended up with a Samsung fridge in our new home. It has no external display or any other indication that it is a "smart" fridge. I only found out when a friend visited who has a Samsung phone and the phone offered to connect to the fridge. We spent the next 30 minutes removing panels from the fridge and found the wifi/bluetooth antenna on a small board under the top-right hinge cover. The board was disconnected and the fridge continues to operate normally.

I am now eyeing my dishwasher very suspiciously.

cogman108 days ago

Samsung has made garbage appliances for my entire life. A family member went through about 3 different samsung fridges before they swore them off for good. The compressor would routinely break after only a year or 2 of service.

I will never own a Samsung or LG appliance. They are built almost explicitly to force you to get a new one in a couple of years.

Then couple that with both companies trying to use weaselly legal maneuvers like putting the EULA that agrees to arbitration on the outside of a box and saying "If you open this box you agree to the EULA".

martin_a8 days ago

> Samsung has made garbage appliances for my entire life.

When I moved into my first own flat, family, friends and colleagues pressured me to buy good appliances. They will last longer they said.

Buy Miele for a washing machine, nothing else, they said. I didn't had the money for that, so I bought a washing machine for 250 Euro. It has been going for 11 years, moved two times and doesn't show any signs of going out.

Another friend told me he only buys Samsung fridges. Best machines, one shouldn't buy anything else. I bought a fridge for 200 Euro because I liked the retro look and its red color. Also going strong for 10 years and moving two times. He has got the third Samsung fridge in 10 years now.

Yeah, that's anecdotal but I haven't really found the part where buying something more expensive really helped with expanding its lifespan, rather the contrary where "high tech" broke earlier or more often.

malfist8 days ago

Why are you throwing LG in with Samsung? They routinely have some of the most durable appliances, check consumer reports if you don't believe me. They even offer ten year warranty on their direct drive washer and dryers

gambiting8 days ago

I wonder if it's a regional difference. Here in the UK I have their fridge and dryer - both came with 5 year warranty. My inlaws have their fridge in Poland, that came with a 10 year warranty on the compressor. They've had it now for 8 years and it's been working fine. Obviously it's anecdotes, but if a company offers 10 years warranty for something I tend to see that as a strong signal it's going to be at least somewhat reliable.

runjake7 days ago

I think it may depend on the LG appliance. Their washers and dryers are generally rated pretty well and last a long time (personal experience). They are generally pretty self-repairable and parts aren't obscene (again, personal experience).

That said, next go around, I'm buying a top loader Speed Queen Commercial washer and dryer. The ones with analog knobs.

But yeah, I'd never buy a Samsung appliance and that seems to be universal advice among the clued.

sekh607 days ago

I'd never buy one of their TVs or fridges (given the whole shoving ads into everything, probably nothing of theirs with a screen), but we did have a great experience with one of their washer and dryers. The dryer lasted us seven years, and we replaced the washer at the same time though it still worked. It's lifetime included our child's cloth diapers phase, they saw some heavy use.

They were plain dumb devices.

hansvm8 days ago

There's an old joke floating around if anyone remembers where it's from:

A tech enthusiast has the latest and greatest smartphones, voice assistants, and everything else cool and flashy. A programmer has a single inkjet printer from the 90s, and they keep a shotgun by their bedside in case it makes a noise.

jjice7 days ago

I always joke with people that I hate software in anything but a traditional computers _because_ I'm a software engineer. I want the car with the fewest smart features, a normal door bell, a non-smart washing machine.

Software sucks a lot of the time and it often gets in the way, at least the way it's deployed over the last decade. Very few things in my home should connect to the internet. My phone and computers. Begrudgingly my TV now.

Also, those things that connect to the internet but don't let you have control? They get EOL'd, despite having paid a premium for them. I've never had a stove from this century and they all work fine, because why the hell wouldn't they?

fg1378 days ago

The earliest that I can track down is https://www.tumblr.com/michaelblume/169525456166/tech-enthus...

BLKNSLVR7 days ago

Real tech people don't own printers.

(to ruin an otherwise good joke)

jonah8 days ago

I'd go with an ancient boat anchor LaserJet but, otherwise, yep.

wolfi18 days ago

if it makes an unexpected noise, to be precise

jasode8 days ago

>I am now eyeing my dishwasher very suspiciously.

Appliances with mandatory wi-fi is a bad trend. The mid-tier dishwasher from Bosch locks the Eco(nomy) energy saver cycle, delayed start, etc functionality behind a smartphone app. This requires connecting the dishwasher to wi-fi and using the smartphone to create a Bosch online account. That's what the whole Jeff Geerling complaint video was all about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M_hmwBBPnc&t=4m21s

nicoburns8 days ago

Aside: I heard that "eco mode" is typically not actually the most energy efficient mode on most washing machines. Apparently it's a standard mode they have to add so that energy efficiency can be measured across machines, but that means it can't be optimised.

You're typically better off looking for some kind quick/fast mode. Or even the "regular" mode.

(YMMV, look things up for your specific model)

baby_souffle8 days ago

Set your BSH free!

https://github.com/hn/bsh-home-appliances

ortusdux8 days ago

Countries with heavy investment in wind and solar are seeing periods of free or negative cost electricity. Ideally, batteries would soak this up for use during peak hours, but smart appliances can be a great way to take advantage. It's a shame that these companies cannot be trusted with our data!

autoexec7 days ago

It's true with basically all technology these days. We have a lot of cool and useful technology, but every company who will sell it to you has designed it so that the device you paid for is also being used by them to screw you over.

mahboi7 days ago

Could do all that with dumb timers. Funny thing is, the optimal way to run my A/C is simply a consistent temperature 24/7, so my dumb old thermostat is set to that (but it also has a timer if I want).

account428 days ago

A lot of devices have optional "smart" functionality. I don't think that's nearly as bad as devices actively connected to the internet.

IAmBroom7 days ago

Really hard to tell them apart from marketing blurbs, though.

phkahler8 days ago

Reminds me of when Nest thermostats stopped turning on the furnace without an internet connection. If your product fails at its primary job because of some other priority its junk. A thermostat can be as simple as a coiled spring with a mercury switch - no software. Same here, what stupid functionality was so important they failed to ensure the fridge would fridge?

IoT is not for me.

cryptoegorophy8 days ago

Similar to when printer stops printing black when color is gone.

whizzter8 days ago

That probably means you've been wasting toner on "enhanced darkness" (check if it's turned on/off).

Grombobulous8 days ago

I have never understood the negative controversy around this.

I expect the printer to use whatever inks it has on hand to print in the best quality it can.

The use of ink is an inevitability.

It always struck me as one of those things analogous to “I don’t understand why my car needs oil when I already put gas in it.”

Just give the machine the stuff it requires to operate.

quickthrowman8 days ago

A bimetallic strip thermostat with a ‘cool/off/heat’ mode switch and ‘on/off/auto’ for fan control is all anyone actually needs with a fixed speed compressor and generic furnace with a fixed speed fan.

If you have a fancy modulating furnace and variable speed compressor or a variable speed heat pump, a thermostat that uses a PID would work better.

vablings8 days ago

Fixed speed compressors are okay for AC condensers but for tighter applications like heat pumps a variable speed drive offers a good efficiency gain, the problem is there is no standardization established for the driving of say a variable motor since they are all redesigned and unique so when the controller goes kaputz you are out 3-4000 dollars for something that costs 30 dollars to manufacture

autoexec7 days ago

> If your product fails at its primary job because of some other priority its junk.

As far as the company is concerned it's primary job is personal data collection and being an ad platform. Anything else it does, like keeping your food cold, is an optional feature that can be remotely disabled at any time.

liendolucas7 days ago

This is the most accurate definition of Samsung products I ever read.

21asdffdsa128 days ago

IoT need standardized inter-connection APIs enforced on every participent. If you can defect to another supplier- and ecosystem and he can revive your device after a e.g. a "downdate"- the lock in effect disappears and the competition reappars.

liveoneggs8 days ago

Nest/Google also hid microphones in products so ...

abroszka338 days ago

I'm starting to hate all smart devices. I love my dumb devices that need no updates, internet or subscription. They just work.

aenis8 days ago

That, plus blocking all updates from the 'smart' devices; in the last few years, I dont remember anything getting better from updates, everything is actually getting way worse.

I have a Sonos soundbar. It used to be nice. Now it automatically goes to sleep after a few minutes of tv inactivity. I now hate the device and the company.

My old M1 mbp used to feel super fast. A number of MacOs updates later it feels sluggish. I don't see anything better about MacOs of today vs. 3 years ago, literally NOTHING.

My apple tv now routinely drops airplay -- it used to work flawlessly.

Etc. etc. All those companies push shit updates to keep their existing engineering teams busy.

kakacik8 days ago

Don't update anything unless its broken (apart from computer and phone unfortunately). Never connect to wifi.

Literally anything, there is simply no real gain, potential for loss absolute.

drnick18 days ago

> Now it automatically goes to sleep after a few minutes of tv inactivity.

> All those companies push shit updates to keep their existing engineering teams busy.

Or comply with idiotic energy conservation laws in places like Europe.

pllbnk7 days ago

They have such absurd functionalities too.

- You might start a smart dishwasher remotely. But who is going to load it with dishes? And if the dishes are already loaded, why not just set a delayed start?

- Same with washing machines. Oh, they can also tell me when the detergent is running out, but I will see it during the next washing cycle.

- A smart oven can prepare warm food before you get back home from work. Assuming you want to keep your food in an oven at room temperature for the entire day.

Izkata6 days ago

Having seen how an electric oven fails, I don't ever want to run it when I'm not at home. The heating element turns into a sparkler and it looks (and sounds) like fireworks.

jsbisviewtiful7 days ago

There really is a limit to what smart devices a house "needs" vs what is absolutely unnecessary. Fridges, washers, dryers and stoves absolutely do not need to be smart. Smart lights, smart locks, smart garage doors and security systems (if those can be considered smart in this context) are all chill in my opinion, but the rest I simply don't understand the "why" of the product. Smart tvs were a decent idea, but that clearly went to shit quickly and now dumb tvs aren't even available anymore in styles like OLED - which is extremely frustrating.

Orphis7 days ago

There are definitely some uses for a washer and drier with "smart" capabilities. Just alerting me when the program is done so I can put the next load is great. The cycles are not "fixed time" anymore, they all weigh the load and end up variable.

I could do without them, and it's not the end of the world if the laundry stayed 20m or 1h longer in the drum. It's practical, and hopefully not a critical feature of the internal board. One could argue if alerting is really a "smart" feature either.

mahboi7 days ago

I don't want any of those except security. Especially not the updating lightbulbs. Even security has its problems, but at least there's a need for it to be smart.

heisenbit8 days ago

Likely not just rotten food but also spoilt medicine. Content of my fridge is a lot more expensive than the fridge.

tosti7 days ago

Especially if you're a heisenberg.

sarjann8 days ago

Imagine a lot of insulin gone to waste.

boelboel7 days ago

Biologics (of rare diseases) cost well over what insulin costs, a patient could have medication in their fridge equal to the cost of a car.

SapporoChris7 days ago

I do not think so. Most insulin can last 28 days outside the fridge, but not frozen insulin.

Source: https://learn.mdsdiabetes.com/wiki/how-long-insulin-unrefrig...

gumby8 days ago