Recently, a post by Reddit user u/angrycatmeowmeow went viral on the HomeAssistant subreddit, which had users speculating that Samsung is bringing ads to certain smart refrigerator models.
The post from angrycatmeowmeow showed a photo of their Samsung smart refrigerator"s cover screen, which was notifying them of an update. The on-screen text explained that after they update, they will be getting ads on the Cover screen for the Weather, Color, and Daily Board themes. The only way to avoid them, the notice stated, is to use the Art and Gallery themes, which will continue to be ad-free.
When Android Authority reached out to Samsung for clarification on the matter, the company responded that it is "committed to innovation and enhancing everyday value" and confirmed that the ads are part of a "pilot program" for certain Family Hub refrigerators in the United States. Ads will appear only when the screen is idle.
Samsung is committed to innovation and enhancing every day value for our home appliance customers. As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen that value, we are conducting a pilot program to offer promotions and curated advertisements on certain Samsung Family Hub refrigerator models in the U.S. market.
If you are not familiar, the Samsung Family Hub lineup is a series of premium refrigerators that feature massive touchscreens. These displays can go up to 32 inches on some models. The fridges have features like AI Vision, which recognizes what is inside your appliance. You can also view the contents from anywhere with your smartphone, so you know when you are out of milk. These are expensive machines that can cost well over $3,000.
The good news is that Samsung promises that a dismissed ad will not appear again. Of course, this does not mean new ads will not take their place.
The Cover Screen appears when a Family Hub screen is idle. Ad design format may change depending on Family Hub personalization options for the Cover Screen, and advertising will not appear when Cover Screen displays Art Mode or picture albums. Advertisements can be dismissed on the Cover Screens where ads are shown, meaning that specific ads will not appear again during the campaign period.
The company did not say whether this program will expand to other regions or models. So, it is quite possible for this "feature" to become standard across more of its expensive smart appliances down the line.
If you are affected by this and want to get rid of the ads, one user suggested that you could wildcard block samsungiotcloud.com on your network. This may stop the fridge from communicating with the servers that deliver the ads. If that works for you, there is a significant catch: angrycatmeowmeow confirmed that blocking that domain seems to break the internal camera.
Speaking of ad blocking, Google recently provided a new reason to discourage users from blocking ads on YouTube, claiming that ad blockers interfere with view counts. The company suggests that channels may see their traffic metrics fluctuate if a large portion of their audience uses these tools.
As an online publication, Neowin too relies on ads for operating costs and, if you use an ad blocker, we"d appreciate being whitelisted. In addition, we have an ad-free subscription for $28 a year, which is another way to show support!