ⓘ Samsung - edited
Samsung has stopped a SmartThings update after Bespoke AI 4-Door fridges shut down when it was installed. As per reports, internal test software reached customers by mistake. Samsung has apologized and will send engineers over the Chuseok break.
Samsung has halted a SmartThings software update for its refrigerators after some units shut down entirely once the update was applied. The failures started on the afternoon of September 22 in South Korea, days before the Chuseok holiday.
Dozens of posts went up on Samsung Members, the company's own community forum — this was reported by Star News Korea and SBS News. Owners said they had tapped an update notification in SmartThings, and that the fridge stopped working right afterwards. One described coming home to find the interior light off, the touch panel unresponsive and the cold gone. Others said the display sat on "updating" and would not clear, and that pulling the power and restoring it did nothing. Several said their Chuseok food was going to have to be thrown out.
Most of the affected units are from the Bespoke AI 4-Door series launched from 2024 onwards. ZDNet Korea reports the cause as a system error that pushed internal test software to customers. Samsung told the outlet it had spotted the deployment error and stopped distribution at once.
Samsung has also apologized publicly for the disruption. It asked owners to book an engineer visit, since a technician has to check the unit in person, and advised moving food into ice boxes in the meantime. Some owners reported that the booking system itself was struggling under the load.
The repair timeline has become its own complaint. One customer said a service centre told them a visit would not be possible until after the holiday. Samsung Electronics Service says it will keep engineers and call centre staff on duty over the break for urgent cooling failures, with SBS citing September 26 and 27.
Samsung has not said how many refrigerators are affected, and it has not announced any compensation for spoiled food. Users in the meantime have resorted to stopgaps such as packing their fridges with dry ice.
Related Articles
Most of my time goes into writing - and somehow it hasn’t stopped being fun yet. My work mainly revolves around everyday tech, gaming, watches, DIY modding, and the occasional piece on tech-policy chaos when companies and governments clash. I try to keep things simple and honest, without sounding like a product brochure. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering and an Associate Degree in English Studies from the College of New Caledonia in British Columbia, Canada. Away from articles and deadlines, life usually shifts to making music, taking photos, or trying to finish games that should have been completed months ago.
Anubhav Sharma, 2026-09-23 (Update: 2026-09-23)