136
Samsung brings ads to US fridges (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
26 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/37646129

Source: Reddit post— Private front-end.

Samsung Statement to Android Authority:

Samsung is committed to innovation and enhancing every day value for our home appliance customers. As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen that value, we are conducting a pilot program to offer promotions and curated advertisements on certain Samsung Family Hub refrigerator models in the U.S. market.

As a part of this pilot program, Family Hub refrigerators in the U.S. will receive an over-the-network (OTN) software update with Terms of Service (T&C) and Privacy Notice (PN). Advertising will appear on certain Family Hub refrigerator Cover Screens. The Cover Screen appears when a Family Hub screen is idle. Ad design format may change depending on Family Hub personalization options for the Cover Screen, and advertising will not appear when Cover Screen displays Art Mode or picture albums.

Advertisements can be dismissed on the Cover Screens where ads are shown, meaning that specific ads will not appear again during the campaign period.

top 26 comments
sorted by: hot top new old
[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Notice that Samsung is a South Korean company, but they will put ads in the USA first. I lived in the USA, they love to be sheep for corporations. If they allow this with no pushback, they have offically become characters in a real life 1984. Pathetic. Also no more Samsung products for me.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Thankfully they aren't the only ones who make fridges

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

You wouldn't steal a fridge..

[-] [email protected] 22 points 2 days ago

We we considering a samsung fridge among our options when we needed one a few months ago. Ended up going with a brand with higher reliability ratings (for reference, that's most other brands, according to consumer reports anyway). But man, don't I regret it now. I could have paid for the privilege of having ads playing in my kitchen at all times (at least until the fridge broke), what a missed opportunity.

[-] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago

I have been telling my wife since we got married that we will not be buying Samsung appliances. I'll pay twice as much for anything else.

When we went to buy a new washer and dryer the sales guy really hyped up the wifi connectivity and all the extra features you get with a Samsung washer. The point that I will only ever be near my washer and dryer when I need to use it seemed to fly so far over his head her couldn't see it with the naked eye.

At no point in the last 5 years with these appliances have either I, or my wife, even thought about the washer while we weren't literally standing in front of it. Let alone needed it to have an Internet connection.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Plus, Samsung ain't even cheaper. Samsung is consistently one of the more expensive options for fridges, tvs, microwaves, washing machines, etc. and whenever they have a reasonable price it turns out it's the shittiest product you've ever used.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

as someone who has worked in technology for the last few decades; it's a wierd feeling to reject the most modern of technologies because of how they're wielded and the implicationt that they carry with them.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

where do you find reliability ratings for your appliances? sounds really useful when shopping for one!

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Consumer Reports. You do need a subscription, but they tabulate a lot of service and warranty info, do a lot of surveys, and do in house testing. If you're buying a large appliance I'd say it's worth it. They do other stuff too.

[-] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)
  • Update (now)
  • Later
  • "No" option missing

Samsung not understanding consent - if they can't say "no" that doesn't make it okay.

If you don't like us changing the terms AFTER the sale then stop using "your" fridge.

No you may not remove it, that's a DMCA violation!

[-] [email protected] 12 points 2 days ago

At least it enhances every day value for the customer!

Ugh.

[-] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago

Yay capitalism!

Next up, fridge subscriptions. Sorry, but you need a pro subscription to cool more than 10 products!

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

"Sorry, setting your oven to 200C requires Pro Mode Subscription. If you also want fast start, upgrade to our Premium Tier. Anyway, here's a 2 minute ad before we heat your food."

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

We looked inside your fridge and discovered you're cooling breast milk. Children's products require a Samsung Family subscription, try it at a discount for 9 days, renews for 150USD yearly.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

I think that’s covered by the water filter mechanism.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

We really need a law that says any device you own cannot show you ads and any "recommendations" or promotions stuff from the company itself must be one setting to disable. And it cannot be tied to maintaining an active subscription or anything else they may think up.

If you pay money for a device, in itself it can't show you ads. Services and apps you install, may.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I don't even want promotions. Make it opt in rather than opt out. I buy things with the expectation that they will just quietly do their job.

Who needs a computer in their fridge anyway? Is the utility worth the materials and add complexity besides to advertisers?

Lets just add laws where if advertisers want something, we always do the opposite.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago

Samsung puts ads in all their stuff. Dont buy a samsung product with a screen outside of their phones

[-] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago

*Including their phones

*Ironically not including their 'signage displays' (ie. displays that are for displaying... advertising)

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

Call me old fashioned, but there are several things I'll never accept being "smart" and having Wi-Fi, including:

Home appliances, cars, monitors, note taking apparatus, furniture, beverage dispensing mechanisms, cleaning gadgets, pet gadgets, children toys, adult toys, bags, wallets, access keys, plants, birds.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago

House I purchased came with one of these fridges. Can confirm that this update came through yesterday for ne. The screensaver pushes an ad for news articles and not sure how to remove that yet.

Don't really want articles about Charlie Kirks assassination on screen while my kids make their breakfast. My kids are mad they got rid of the daily trivia app.

One of today's breakfast news articles:Samsung Fridge has ads

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

Smart fridge

Why!?

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Going to play devil's advocate here but in theory, it's not necessarily bad, namely it could display

  • what's in stock (assuming RFID or being patient enough to scan barcode of each item or data from online order)
  • recipes matching what's in stock,
  • statistics of usage e.g. when it's most used, how much electricity consumed, etc
  • contextual information e.g. calendar items overlapping with meal time (thus expecting food to take away)
  • what's in stock that could go bad soon and thus potential recipes

so ... honestly the "smart" can be potentially useful to the user.

The problem is not really the why IMHO but rather the how because sadly I have 0 trust that it will be done solely for the benefit of the user. Which is why I will not buy a proprietary version. If I could get a OSHW one with e.g. eInk and HomeAssistant and/or GadgetBridge support, I just might, until then I'm in no rush.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Time to post my favorite Silicon Valley clip

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

pihole should kill these pretty quick

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Not buying a Samsung fridge will kill it even quicker.

this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2025
136 points (98.6% liked)

Technology

39775 readers
95 users here now

This is the official technology community of Lemmy.ml for all news related to creation and use of technology, and to facilitate civil, meaningful discussion around it.

Ask in DM before posting product reviews or ads. All such posts otherwise are subject to removal.

Rules:

1: All Lemmy rules apply

2: Do not post low effort posts

3: NEVER post naziped*gore stuff

4: Always post article URLs or their archived version URLs as sources, NOT screenshots. Help the blind users.

5: personal rants of Big Tech CEOs like Elon Musk are unwelcome (does not include posts about their companies affecting wide range of people)

6: no advertisement posts unless verified as legitimate and non-exploitative/non-consumerist

7: crypto related posts, unless essential, are disallowed

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
[email protected]