Samsung activates ads on Family Hub refrigerators: what changes and how it affects you

Samsung's decision to activate advertising on some Family Hub refrigerators has sparked a debate about how far the monetization of home devices can go. We're not talking about televisions or mobile phones, but about connected refrigerators with large touch screens that suddenly become advertising media when their panel is inactive.

The South Korean company frames it as a pilot program in the United States that arrives through a OTN software update (over the network). These are “selected” ads that are shown on the so-called Cover Screen, the screen that appears when we are not interacting with the device. This movement, which affects models with 21,5 and 32 inches, is based on the idea that any display in the home can offer “additional content,” but it brings with it uncomfortable questions about user experience, privacy, and the real value of appliances that can cost between 1.800 and $ 3.500.

What has changed with the latest update

With the new software version, certain Family Hub models They will start showing ads and promotions when the screen is in standby mode. The new feature comes with new Terms of Service or with a Privacy Policy, suggesting that Samsung is laying the legal groundwork for introducing commercial messages into the interface.

The advertisement appears in the Cover Screen (the cover screen), visible only when the panel is not in use. The design and format may vary based on each user's customization, so the applied themes influence how these contents are presented.

There are clear exceptions: You won't see ads if you choose Art Mode or if you display photo albums on the home screen. This is the option Samsung has outlined for those who want a "clean" display when the refrigerator is idle.

The company also confirms that ads can be discard individuallyIf you reject a specific ad, that ad will not appear again during the same campaign; Of course, this doesn't disable advertising in general; it just prevents the same creative or promotional piece from being repeated.

Some users detected the novelty after receiving a notification on your refrigerator detailing that there would be advertising on certain front-page topics, while others, such as those on Reddit, shared images of the update notes. Curiously, no public screenshots of the final look of those announcements have yet emerged, and Samsung has not specified which categories or marks will appear on them.

Which models and where: sizes, availability and nuances

The pilot is limited to American market and affects Family Hub refrigerators with touch screens. 21,5 and 32 inchesSamsung has not detailed the exact list of models, indicating that the test has been rolled out to a subset of certain units and not the whole range at once.

Family Hubs are integrated into the appliance ecosystem Bespoke, with the AI ​​Home external display as a claim. This interface works as control center of the refrigerator itself and other connected devices, and offers options for entertainment and productivity such as recipes, shopping lists or food expiration notices.

Since 2016, when they surprised everyone with those first refrigerators "with a big screen," the Family Hubs have evolved in size, functions, and connectivity. The brand's philosophy has been to promote the concept of “screens everywhere” in its connected home line. In fact, this year has seen a push for Bespoke products with touch panels and IA, although until recently Samsung hinted that it did not contemplate delivering ads to these displays. The shift in the United States suggests that the strategy is being tested step by step.

Important: The company avoids confirming whether the program will be expanded to other countries or what calendar it uses. In Spain, for now, nothing is official beyond the North American pilot, and several media outlets have contacted Samsung awaiting a more concrete response.

Impact on daily use and options to avoid advertising

Until now, the Family Hub's large screen served to display photos and videos, notes, recipes, the weather forecast or various household information. With the change, part of that space in the inactive cover may be occupied by ads, depending on the active topic.

There are several ways to avoid advertising, all with drawbacks. The simplest is to configure the cover in Art or Gallery Mode; this way, the refrigerator will not show ads when it is idle, but rather images or illustrations. Another possibility is disconnect the refrigerator from the Internet, but that means losing key features like the meal planner, synchronized shopping list, and access to recipes.

Samsung specifies that ads are limited to certain cover topicsAmong those that can display advertising are: Weather, Colour y Daily Board, while the topics Art y Gallery are excluded, at least for now. This detail is relevant if you like to have informative widgets on the idle screen, because that's where promotional messages might appear.

Another option available is the discarded from each adIf you're not interested in a creative, you can close it, and Samsung promises that the specific piece won't appear again during the active campaign. However, this doesn't disable all advertising, so you may still see other pieces during the same period.

• Choose Art or Gallery Mode to avoid ads at rest.
• Use themes like The Weather or Daily Board knowing that they might include advertising.
• Si you unplug the refrigerator of the Internet, you will lose connected functions.
• Discard targeted ads so that they are not repeated during that campaign.

Some users point out an additional point: keeping photos or illustrations on screen as a permanent antidote to advertising can be a energy additional cost for having the panel display images frequently. It's not a huge cost, but it's a consideration if you plan to leave it active all the time.

User reactions and the debate on the product's value

The response on networks and forums has been reviewMany consumers believe that, after paying premium prices for a kitchen appliance, they shouldn't have to live with commercial messages triggered via a simple update. The argument that advertising "reinforces the value"The product's quality does not convince those who expect a clean experience in the heart of their home.

This scenario is not new in tech. The parallel with the bloatware mobile phones—pre-installed sponsored apps, sometimes even on high-end phones—is inevitable. For the user, adding promotional layers often means friction and visual noise; for the manufacturer, it represents ongoing revenue beyond the initial sale.

The controversy is amplified if we remember that, months ago, Samsung officials had hinted that they did not contemplate “ads everywhere” Despite its "screens everywhere" philosophy, the current move in the United States, although in the pilot phase, suggests that the company is testing the limits of this strategy and its public acceptance.

The underlying debate is also reopened: to what extent we need connected appliancesThere are recent statistics indicating that, in 2023, less than half of smart home appliances sold by other brands were actually connected to the Internet. That figure, if it holds, reveals a lukewarm interest of the public for keeping everything linked and constantly updated.

In this context, a user of Reddit He set the record straight by posting the notification he received on his fridge. From there, official confirmations arrived: the pilot exists, is activated with a remote update, and there are no public images even from the final appearance of the ads, in order to judge how visually intrusive they are.

Privacy, data and segmentation hypotheses

With ads incorporated into the interface, the concern quickly moves to the privacyThe update comes with revamped Terms and Privacy Notice, but questions remain: what data Could these be used to target promotions? Will it be limited to geolocation and language, or will there be more granular segmentation?

Family Hubs have features such as IA that identify food and help manage your pantry, and some models have boasted capabilities such as AI Vision Inside to recognize products. Although Samsung has not indicated that it will use this information for advertising, many users fear a future in which promotional content adapts to what the refrigerator “sees” or the habits that the software detects.

This ties into a broader trend: any device with a screen and a connection can become a advertising medium. It happens in televisions and infotainment systems in vehicles, and platforms such as Roku They've already explored aggressive ways to insert ads. The refrigerator, therefore, would be just the next link in a chain that seeks to monetize every display in the home.

Let it be allowed dismiss specific ads during a campaign is a nice gesture, but it doesn't address the main demand of those who would prefer absolute control to disable all advertising. For now, that option does not exist within the pilot and we will have to wait – if it continues – to see if Samsung introduces a global adjustment or maintains this approach.

Price, features and the experience/monetization balance

Part of the anger comes from the price-experience ratioWe are talking about household appliances that range from 2.000 to 3.500 euros/dollars, with a clear promise: to simplify life through connectivity, the large screen and the integration with the rest of the home. The step of reserving interface space for ads, even at rest, is perceived as a recoil by those who value a clean UX.

On Samsung's side, the message is that it is about selected promotions and that the idea is to “add value” by offering additional content. In certain highly controlled scenarios, there could be useful offers (e.g., reminders of offers related to saved recipes), but success will depend on how careful be it the visual design, the relevance of the messages and, above all, the real control given to the user.

The brand suggests that the impact is limited to rest and that you have pathways for avoid it without sacrificing the entire interface (Art Mode or Gallery). Still, if your routine involves having the weather forecast or day boards, seeing ads pop up there can be annoying and break the flow when taking a quick look to look up something useful.

The other big lever is the Internet disconnection, a drastic measure that renders meaningless many of the features that differentiate these models from a traditional refrigerator. It doesn't seem like a reasonable path for those who bought the Family Hub precisely because of its connected features.

What to expect in the short term

For the moment, the initiative is a pilot in the United States on certain Family Hub units. Samsung is avoiding specifying whether or when it will expand this to other markets; several media outlets have requested details, and for now, there are no additional confirmations for regions such as Spain.

The key will be in the perception of intrusiveness and the metrics Samsung pulls out: if the ads are unobtrusive, relevant, and well-integrated, the manufacturer may want to expand the program. If the public reaction is mostly negative or there is regulatory implications, the company could rethink or limit the plan.

There are still loose ends: we still don't know of any public examples of what these look like. creatives on the cover, nor which sectors or brands are involved. There is also no information on whether, over time, an adjustment will be added for deactivate ads completely, or whether the “piece by piece” system will be maintained.

In the meantime, if you have a compatible Family Hub and are in the US, practical solutions They have to activate Art Mode or Gallery, interact with news topics knowing they might include advertising, or opt out of connectivity. It's not the ideal scenario for a high-end appliance, but it's the framework the pilot proposes.

Samsung's move fits into a widespread trend that sees every screen in the home as a potential channel of communication and monetizationThe question for consumers is whether it's worth paying the extra price for connectivity in a refrigerator if, in the end, part of that interface is subject to external commercial decisions. For some, the answer will be yes—because of the utilities they actually use—; for others, these kinds of changes will tip the balance toward simpler options, without the need for additional hardware. advertising no surprises in the updates.