Ads are starting to appear on Samsung smart fridges

A new software update on some of Samsung’s smart refrigerators has sparked anger from owners as it tries to promote local networking for food-sharing by allowing you to display images or play music on the door-front display about pea-and-sour-cream-themed potlucks. For appliances that can cost several thousand dollars, it’s a jarring development and adds to questions about whether ad-supported hardware has a place in the home of the future.

What’s changing for Samsung refrigerators

Owners of Samsung Family Hub and Bespoke models that feature a full-screen “cover” display say update notes now list adverts as a new feature for certain themes. As users on Reddit have shared screenshots and SamMobile has reported, the update offers promotions directly on the cover screen while a few themes are — for now at least — ad‑free.

It’s unclear at this point which Samsung refrigerator models or regions are seeing the update, and Samsung hasn’t publicly revealed the specifics of the rollout. The changelog language presents the change as a service improvement, but for purchasers who opted for a premium appliance in order to keep distractions at bay, ads appearing when they open their fridge feel like they’re crossing a line.

Functionally, the Family Hub display is a giant tablet on your refrigerator: it cycles through photos, offers calendars, as well as controls for all of your SmartThings devices, and can show recipes or shopping lists. That new behavior has promotional slots that are inserted into certain visual themes, effectively making the door another screen for brand messaging.

Why home appliances are becoming ad-supported screens

The move is part of a wider industry trend: connect a screen to the internet and make it eligible for monetization. Smart TV manufacturers offer the clearest precedent. According to Vizio’s SEC filings, selling first-party ads is now more profitable for its Platform+ business than selling televisions. We at Insider Intelligence forecast that U.S. connected TV ad spending clocks in at tens of billions of dollars on an annual basis — and is growing as more screens come online.

The economics rhyme, if not with video ads, for refrigerators.

Hardware margins are thin, software updates continue to flow, and recurring revenue helps even out the business. To manufacturers, ad-supported “free” upgrades look like a good thing. For consumers, the calculus is more straightforward: They do not want to buy a branded refrigerator, but an essential, long‑lived appliance that works with their style of home and not as some kind of billboard.

Data, personalization, and privacy concerns for owners

Good ads are targeted, which means collecting data.

Samsung’s privacy policy already addresses “customized services” from the usage and location data that its ecosystem collects. In a kitchen, it knows when it’s on, which features you use, and — in some models — has access to internal cameras for inventorying.

That doesn’t mean that the fridge is logging your groceries to serve you ads, but it does raise reasonable questions about consent, retention, and control.

Consumer advocates have criticized similar maneuvers in smart TVs, where automatic content recognition has been employed to compile viewing profiles. The Federal Trade Commission and European regulators have also investigated “dark patterns” that lead users to share data. Transparency and easy opt‑outs will be important here.

Can you disable the ads on Samsung refrigerator screens?

An update message making the rounds among users suggests that selecting one of the remaining ad‑free cover themes should squelch advertisements for now. That workaround may be temporary. Some users report minimizing personalization by opting out of Samsung Account consents, turning off marketing communications, and tweaking optional data‑sharing toggles under SmartThings and Family Hub settings.

Trade‑offs are involved: You can defang smart features like calendar syncing, voice assistance, and remote control by cutting Wi‑Fi or refusing permissions. For those of us for whom advertising will become an inculcated inevitability on most themes, the pressure to give consumers a universal opt‑out is likely to grow — particularly in households that treat the door display as a family message board rather than an ad platform.

A milestone for advertising creeping into the smart home

Many appliances used to be one‑time purchases. Increasingly, they act like platforms with terms, toggles, and commercialization stowed away post-sale. We’ve already looked at subscription offerings for car features, and fitness gear; now, the kitchen is in play. Once ads show up on a refrigerator, it potentially paves the way — quite literally and figuratively — for even more pervasive monetization throughout the home.

Which is why this update matters more broadly than for a single brand. It is an experiment to see how much post‑purchase changes consumers are willing to accept on essential devices, and whether manufacturers can juggle ongoing revenue with trust. If clear labeling and opt‑ins, rather than opt‑outs, are adopted along with some meaningful control over who gets served what ad, I think we could avoid a backlash.

What to watch next as Samsung tests fridge ads

There are still big questions: which models and regions are affected, how much of a choice ads really are, what data informs targeting, and for whom ad‑free themes remain available. Watch for an official statement from Samsung explaining scope and settings, and expect consumer protection groups to weigh in if ad experiences get obnoxious or unavoidable.

In the meantime, affected owners can continue to use ad‑free themes, audit data‑sharing permissions, and give direct feedback to Samsung support. The company has pivoted in the past based on customer reaction. The biggest test is not technical — it’s whether a fancy fridge can remain focused on food and family instead of funneling attention to ads.