"If your home is your templethe last place where you can escape the blasted outside landscape of billboards, screen ads, bus ads, train ads, and TV adsknow that the Mongol horde of advertising is looking to break down your fortress walls. Samsung's new agenda for its smart home includes sticking ads into its ultra-expensive refrigerators with screens. Don't worry, you can dismiss some of those ads, but the only way to get rid of them completely is to disconnect your fridge from the internet."
"Android Authority first spotted changes in the latest firmware update that is pushing ads to some users as part of a pilot program. Samsung told the site that ads would appear on certain Family Hub refrigerator cover screens when the fridge is idle. Users will be able to dismiss the ads, and they won't appear again while the ad campaign is ongoing. Ads won't appear when users have the screens set to show the weather or photo albums."
"These Family Hub refrigerators with screens start at $1,800 (on sale versus $2,332 MSRP) and only get more expensive from there. Earlier this year, Samsung showed me several of its major appliances it was pushing for 2025, including a four-door model with a much smaller 9-inch screen that sports AI Home rather than the full Family Hub suite. There's no reason why Samsung couldn't update its appliances with screens to display ads, from its latest $1,100 Bespoke AI Jet Ultra vacuum"
"The possibility of OTA updates showing ads has kept me from embracing any kind of screen-based smart home technology. If I can't stand the endless parade of low-quality ads on YouTube, how could I stand to be at home if my oven shows me commercials for hair loss supplements? I enjoy cooking whenever I have a spare moment, and I use that time to break away from the ever-present glow of screens."
Firmware updates are enabling ads on certain Family Hub refrigerator cover screens when the screens are idle. Users can dismiss individual ads and those dismissed ads will not reappear while the campaign runs. Ads do not display when the screens are configured to show weather or photo albums. Family Hub refrigerators with screens are high-end, starting around $1,800, and Samsung sells other appliances with screens that could receive similar updates. The only method to fully eliminate ads on these smart appliances is to disconnect the device from the internet. OTA ad delivery raises concerns for screen-based smart home adoption.
Read at gizmodo.com
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