If you’re tired of promo tiles and “personalized recommendations” being plastered all over your home screen, the easy fix is not another option that’s buried three menus deep. It’s this: stop purchasing smart home gear with displays that serve no essential function. Every panel a manufacturer controls is another billboard waiting to happen — and once it’s in your kitchen, the ad switch isn’t going anywhere, it can be flipped with an over-the-air update.
There was no customer demand for ads on fridges, robot vacuum cleaners, or thermostats. But once it embeds a display, a company has the leverage to monetize it later. If the notion of your oven taking it upon itself to shove recipes in your face that you never asked for disgusts you, there is a stronger defense: Starve the ad inventory at its source.
Why appliance screens are primed to attract ads
Advertising pays better than hardware. That’s why TV interfaces are so full of sponsored rows, and phone makers scatter “suggestions” throughout their UI. Market researchers such as eMarketer are predicting ad spend on connected TV will continue to grow, and that incentive moves wherever companies can stick a screen. A post-purchase software download transforms sunk hardware into recurring revenue without having to invent a new product.
Crucially, the manufacturers control all of it. Terms of service frequently allow a broad freedom to “enhance” devices with content. If a company doesn’t explicitly promise “no ads on device surfaces,” it’s the smell of the future. And platforms that already shove ads on TVs or phones are unlikely to keep their hands off kitchen displays for long.
Your fridge doesn’t need a billboard in your kitchen
Ad copy for giant fridge screens began with “efficiency” — peek inside without opening the door, waste and AI suggestions. In practice, most refrigerators are already so efficient that the incremental amount of power required to cool an extra person’s worth of air is minimal compared with other energy use, according to advice provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. You don’t need a 20-inch panel to take care of a grocery list or see whether you’re out of milk.
There’s also a longevity mismatch. Consumer Reports estimates that average refrigerator lifespans are a little longer, at about 10 years. Screens age faster than compressors. In four or five years, the display may look slow, unsupported or style-dated — but you’ll be stuck with it and whatever new ad strategy came via firmware while you weren’t looking.
Audio creep is similar. Your fridge doesn’t need speakers, your dishwasher doesn’t need a news feed and your air purifier doesn’t require “content.” The more real estate a manufacturer owns, the greater the pressure to monetize it with customized promotions or subscription upsells.
Use displays you control, not ones you don’t
Want a focal point for the kitchen that’s visual? Make it modular. A cheap, low-end tablet such as an Amazon Fire (to which you’ve attached magnets) or a wall dock that runs on Home Assistant, Apple Home, or Google Home results in the dashboard of your dreams — and you can switch out the hardware as it ages. The notifications are yours to control, and you can disable the recommendations without waiting for an appliance vendor policy change.
This decoupling pays off. Appliances continue to do appliance things — cool, wash your clothes or cook — while your control surface stays pliable. If you love no distractions, there are e‑ink boards where lists and calendars (and any hint of a video ad!) don’t exist at all.
Bonus: personalization is easier. A family tablet can display shared calendars, camera feeds, and scenes from any ecosystem. You go, you take it with you. Your stove stays a stove.
What to consider before you shop for connected appliances
- Prefer models with smaller color displays. If you must have a screen, choose appliances with straightforward status displays, not complete UIs.
- Find local control and Matter/Thread support so that core functions will work independently of changes in cloud services. If it’s a device that requires an account to use, expect marketing to creep into the UI.
- Check privacy labels and policies. Intrusive practices are common subjects of Mozilla Foundation’s “Privacy Not Included” guide and Consumer Reports’ product reviews. Ask for clear statements regarding no marketing messages on device screens and the ability to turn off “recommendations.”
- Look for offline modes and physical controls. Knobs, buttons, and clear indicators are harder to hijack for ad real estate, and they still work when the service is down.
Vote with your wallet — and your feedback
Manufacturers follow money and noise. The more that people reward products that cobble the screen away from the body of the appliance — or fail to show ads on the device UI, depending on how Googlyicious you feel today — the more such configurations we get. When buyers embrace flashy panels, they tacitly accept everything that comes with them, including “promotions” showing up years later.
If you really do hate ads for smart homes, don’t hold out for some secret toggle. Purchase fewer embedded screens, control your smart home from displays you own, and insist on clear, enforceable promises on advertising. No screen, no slot for an ad. It’s that simple — and it works.