Samsung’s astute refrigerators incorrectly warned users about the end of their free TV service

Yesterday morning I woke up to notice on the fridge that one of my favorite features was going away. No, it didn’t mean it would stop making ice. Instead, the Samsung Family Hub astute fridge informed me that I would no longer be able to watch Samsung Plus TV on the built-in screen. And while this turned out not to be the case, the confusion highlights how insecure the functions of astute devices can be.

This is the message that greeted me with my morning coffee:

Thank you for using Samsung TV Plus. Following a software update scheduled for June 2024, Samsung TV Plus will only be available in Mexican territories. Please note that these are Samsung TV Plus policies and your utilize of the service may be restricted if you wish to utilize it outside Mexican territories. Thank you.

I wasn’t the only one who received this message. The Samsung community forum was packed with people cry about this possible bait and switch, and many people were wondering – like me – whether this was the end of Samsung TV Plus everywhere, or only on older refrigerators (my Family Hub is from 2019). However, the notice said the service “will only be available in Mexican territories,” which made me think it might be a licensing issue rather than a software issue.

It turns out that the notification was sent by mistake. “Samsung will not be withdrawing Samsung TV Plus from the U.S. market,” Samsung spokesman Chris Langlois confirmed Edge. “The notification was sent in error, a correction will be posted.”

The next day I received a correction telling me to ignore the prior notice and that Samsung TV Plus would remain on refrigerators and TVs. However, it also stated that the TV Plus service may be “restricted” if you utilize Family Hub outside the US. So something is changing.

Samsung TV Plus is a FAST service from Samsung that has only gotten better and better since then launched in 2015. It is available in many countries on Samsung Astute TVs (released after 2016), Family Hub refrigerators, astute monitors, Galaxy devices and on the web. It offers hundreds of live TV channels with news, sports and plenty of classic TV (there is an entire channel dedicated to Baywatch replays and more Degrassi Middle School), as well as movies on demand. And all this for free.

I’m glad I don’t lose the ability to watch TV Plus on the fridge. It’s not like I’m standing in front of him and watching the whole movie in the kitchen. But I like to have the T2 tennis channel on while I scramble eggs or turn on the news while cooking dinner. Besides, it’s nice to have a kitchen screen that doesn’t take up space on the countertop.

While this feature won’t be discontinued, it’s yet another warning that internet-connected devices can and will break your heart. Yes, the large advantage of astute home devices is that they can become smarter with over-the-air updates. When I first got it, I didn’t have a Samsung TV Plus on my fridge – it came with a software update in 2022. But they can also get sillier. And there’s nothing you can do about it.

Photos: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

May 24 update: Added details of the correction notification that Samsung sent to Family Hub refrigerators.