Image Courtesy: Samsung

Samsung has halted a software update for some of its smart refrigerators after units in South Korea reportedly stopped working immediately after installing it. The failures began on September 22, just days before the Chuseok holiday, leaving some owners unable to keep food cold.

Affected customers said their refrigerators became completely unresponsive after receiving an update notification through Samsung’s SmartThings app. Some reported that the interior lights went dark, touchscreens stopped responding, and cooling was lost. The incident has prompted a wave of complaints on Samsung Members, the company’s online community.

The affected appliances are primarily from Samsung’s Bespoke AI 4-Door refrigerator lineup, including models introduced from 2024 onward. Korean reports indicate that an internal test version of the software was mistakenly distributed to customers during the update process. Samsung detected the problem and stopped the rollout.

The company has apologized and is arranging in-person service visits to affected customers. Samsung has also advised owners to move their food into ice boxes while they wait for repairs. Some customers, however, have reported difficulties securing appointments because of the sudden increase in service requests.

The timing has made the incident particularly frustrating. Chuseok, one of South Korea’s major holidays, typically involves families preparing and storing large quantities of food in advance. Several affected owners said they were concerned about having to discard groceries that could no longer be kept at safe temperatures.

Samsung’s service operation is expected to remain active during the holiday period for urgent cooling-related failures. Korean broadcaster SBS reported that engineers and call center personnel would be available on September 26 and 27 to handle emergency cases.

Samsung has not disclosed how many refrigerators were affected and has not announced compensation for food that may have spoiled. Some owners have resorted to temporary measures such as using ice boxes or dry ice while waiting for technicians.

The incident highlights a growing risk of connected appliances: software updates can affect essential hardware functions just as they do smartphones and computers. Samsung has yet to provide a detailed public explanation of the software failure, but the company has stopped the problematic rollout while emergency repairs continue.