Samsung launches emergency repairs after faulty SmartThings update disables refrigerators

Samsung Fridges Brick After Faulty SmartThings Update

Samsung Electronics promptly launched an emergency recovery effort after a faulty software update mistakenly sent to customers disabled some Bespoke AI refrigerators in South Korea this week.

Samsung said the software intended only for internal testing was mistakenly distributed to general customers due to a system error. The company halted further distribution of the update and activated an emergency response team on September 23 to restore affected products.

Starting on September 22, dozens of users reported on Samsung Members that their Bespoke AI refrigerators became completely unresponsive immediately after installing a SmartThings firmware update.

The most affected products are Bespoke AI four-door refrigerators released in 2024 or later, according to reports from several South Korean media outlets covering the incident.

The update items were listed as simple entries such as code stabilization, leading some consumers to install them without concern. Community members later raised concerns that the update should have been halted earlier in the day if issues were identified sooner.

Users Report Lost Cooling and Spoiled Holiday Food

Many owners reported that interior lights turned off, cooling stopped entirely, and their refrigerator display panels showed a persistent notice. Some users also said their automatic door-opening feature stopped working, and the SmartThings app showed those refrigerators as being offline.

One user reported holiday food and a gift of galbi at risk, while another rushed food into a kimchi refrigerator as ice cream started melting quickly.

Some affected users said repairs did not immediately fix the problem, and one technician reportedly replaced the main board afterward. Other posts said technicians could not complete repairs on site because of parts issues, and power cycling did not restore operation.

One customer reported that the refrigerator was bought less than a year ago, underscoring the sudden and widespread nature of the recent unexpected nationwide software failure.

Samsung service centers initially told affected consumers the earliest possible visit date was October 1, frustrating many of their holiday preparations. One consumer who protested that holiday food ingredients were spoiling was told employees had left for the day, making action impossible.

Samsung Vows Repairs and Compensation Before Chuseok

Samsung said it will cover all of the repair costs arising from the error and will promptly contact affected customers who have not yet filed service requests.

Users are calling for specific measures setting out how they can be compensated if meat, fruit, and frozen food has spoiled. Samsung said it is currently reviewing specific compensation measures, including for spoiled food, and aims to minimize all customer inconvenience.

Samsung publicly acknowledged the issue on its Korean community forum, saying an error occurred during internal testing of the refrigerator software update, according to the company.

Samsung announced it will operate dedicated emergency repair services throughout the Chuseok holiday period to assist all affected customers nationwide. While service centers close on the first holiday day, repair services remain available via pre-registration at nine weekend care centers.

Samsung aims to complete affected repairs by September 24 at the latest, when the Chuseok holiday begins, though actual timing may vary by individual customer availability.