Samsung accidentally freezes its smart fridges with a software update

thesuitonym

The R in IoT stands for reliability.

sandworm101

The fridge compressor answers to software? Idiocy. It need be nothing more than a relay attached to a thermocouple. I can see having a smart screen to deliver aps/ads and to collect data on people in the home, but why on earth would that need to actually manipulate temperatures?

methyl

Better to freeze a fridge than to cook it

pelagicAustral

Not as bad a putting a mime in the fridge screen, I suppose...

phkahler

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.

heisenbit

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

ginko

I have yet to understand what the value proposition of an internet-connected refrigerator is.

invader

Did Gilfoyle hack Jian Yang's smart fridge again?

paulbjensen

freeze-in-hell.bat man! https://www.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/0def6aed-0b5b-4856-874a-d97...

tiku

Suck it JinYang.

bsoqk

I hate news websites so much. Everything has to be a fucking joke.

diskzero

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.

abroszka33

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

stevetron

How to turn a refrigerator into a brick.

tapanjk

I chuckled at the title.

dmpk2k

An official update hard (and permanently) bricked my S8 phone back when it was still the flagship. Samsung refused to fix or replace it because I had moved overseas meanwhile. While "technically" valid, this never happened with iPhones despite frequent travels. Don't buy Samsung consumer devices.

pfdietz

The Internet of Things I Won't Buy.

robertlagrant

"My fridge has frozen - how do I defrost it?"

Danox

Once a product is sold, you are dead to me. Go away. That’s the Samsung philosophy. Note that it’s also the philosophy in most parts of the world outside the West. Once transaction is done, that’s it. go away.

haunter

Honestly I just loathe korean tech. I still don't get what makes korean brands _extra_ shitty. Like these dark patterns are all over the world but somehow korean brands crank it up to one more level.