Samsung recently announced that certain Family Hub refrigerators will be receiving a software update which will start displaying curated advertisements and promotions across three out of five cover screen modes.
Advertisements will display in idle mode for the Weather, Color, and Daily Board themes, leaving only the Art Mode and photo gallery covers ad-free. While ads can be dismissed, there is no option to disable advertisements entirely.
According to a changelog from a Reddit user’s Family Hub refrigerator, the over-the-network software update is said to, “enhance our service and offer additional content to users.” Samsung later confirmed the changelog on September 18, 2025 saying:
“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.”
In April 2025, Samsung’s Executive VP and Head of Research and Development Team for Digital Appliances, told The Verge that Samsung, “had no plans regarding the inclusion of advertisements on artificial intelligence Home screens.” In May 2025 at their NewsFronts presentation in New York City, Travis Scott Howe, the Global Head of New Product Solutions at Samsung Ads, said “we envision a world where Samsung Ads brings your brand message to every screen in the connected home and beyond to drive all new levels of engagement and impact.”
FamilyHub refrigerator owners can disconnect the fridge from Wi-Fi to prevent ads from downloading. However, this will disable the “smart” features such as video and photo streaming, internal camera to recognize what is inside, recipe suggestions, and other features that uniquely sets the appliance apart from others.
Although one may purchase the appliance for themselves, users agree to Samsung’s terms and conditions for both the FamilyHub refrigerator and SmartThings, a home automation platform that users install as an app on their phone. SmartThings’ user agreement allows Samsung to release and prompt updates which are then manually installed. While this allows users to install the update later, they may miss out on the newest features and bug improvements.
The announcement has since sparked controversy about how advertisements on a $1,800+ refrigerator will enhance value for smart fridge owners. In a broader conversation, it begs the question of how far will advertisements seep into our daily lives? Furthermore, how desensitized will advertisements become to people?
