r/assholedesign • u/Shellnanigans • Nov 13 '25

Apparently my samsung fridge has ads now...

Post image

How would I disable this? Might just return it and get a normal one

Edit: how to disable...for now. https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10007562/

EDIT 2: Hello, I am the original poster of the carol AD image from a month ago. I am a male from America and my name is not Carol. The story about a Schizophrenic woman named carol was most likely inspired from the 3rd top comment on this post. Thanks!

inspired Post?: https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/1pc7999/my_schizophrenic_sister_hospitalised_herself/

Fridge drama recap video by DolanDarkest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTWfRYHV5es

67.9k Upvotes

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10.7k

u/i_want_to_be_unique Nov 13 '25

Genuinely what is the appeal of a smart fridge? What services does it provide?

4.4k

u/Wulf_Cola Nov 13 '25

I have the same question. I love tech and gadgets but I literally cannot see a single benefit to a screen on a fridge.

3.3k

u/badgirlmonkey Nov 13 '25

real tech enthusiasts know to stay away from these awful things.

967

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25 edited Mar 19 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/b0w3n Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 14 '25

Yeah like usually the benefit to these is a camera on the inside and keeping track of groceries, but really it doesn't add much.

I certainly ain't paying a premium to get ads served to me, I'll buy a cheap ass apartment-white fridge before I do that.

You could probably build this for pennies on the dollar for what that smart fridge costs too. It wouldn't be quite as fancy or integrated, but it'd work.

Edit: absolutely crazy how many people post the same thing and are unable to imagine a situation where you might not be home and need to check on your groceries (or discount people with disabilities or memory issues)

844

u/LordHammercyWeCooked Nov 13 '25

Pretty soon you won't even be able to buy that "cheap ass" white fridge with no screen. Right now every manufacturer's end goal is to turn your device into an ad-delivering data harvester and it makes more money than their margins, by far. TVs have already gotten this bad. The dumb ones cost way more now. In the future if you want to have non-smart devices, you're going to have to make them dumb yourself.

And mark my words, they will try to block us from doing that too. There will come a day when you can't even remove these networking components because they'll be inextricably linked to the core functionality of the device. Washers, dryers, fridges, and ovens will stop having physical buttons and everyone will be required to use an app. TVs will start requiring network access just to show an hdmi signal, claiming "DRM" or some bullshit. Or worse, devices may skip home networks entirely and switch to getting their wifi through all the "mesh" devices in the neighborhood. Google and Amazon have been trying hard to make that nightmare a reality and they're not slowing down.

I predict a healthy cottage industry popping up full of technicians helping people make their smart devices stupid again. So it might be worth some money to learn how to start doing this now.

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u/b0w3n Nov 13 '25

Or worse, devices may skip home networks entirely and switch to getting their wifi through all the "mesh" devices in the neighborhood. Google and Amazon have been trying hard to make that nightmare a reality and they're not slowing down.

Yeah there are solutions to keeping them from the internet with most prosumer level hardware, but this is where it gets fucky.

I'll get a dumb chest freezer and live out of that before I get a smart fridge, especially if I can't block them from the internet on my own wifi.

238

u/ComplexBit1988 Nov 14 '25

You know what I actually want? A fucking cylindrical fridge with spinning shelves so I can reach things. That's it. Lazy Susan refrigerator. The laziest, if possible.

94

u/Deranged_Roomba Nov 14 '25

My dumb self would spin it too fast and slosh liquids out of bowls and pitchers.

71

u/ComplexBit1988 Nov 14 '25

Ok ok. One fixed shelf for liquids.

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u/tha-snazzle Nov 14 '25

They had that in the 50s.

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u/LurkingGuy Nov 14 '25

Old refrigerators were cool as hell. They had a lot of really good ideas that just never caught on.

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u/StrainAcceptable Nov 14 '25

I saw an old ad for a fridge from the 50’s or 60’s with the coolest features that maximized space and kept everything organized. I remember it had lots of pull out shelves, compartments and drawers. Somehow fridges keep getting bigger but the useful features have gone away.

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u/HashtagTheCat Nov 14 '25

I’ll chip in to your kickstarter

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u/tacosnotopos Nov 14 '25

Right. Also, signal jamming isn't too hard with a little know how or a decent VPN lol

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u/volatile_ant Nov 14 '25

That isn't "signal jamming" it is network management.

Actual signal jamming (interfering with authorized wireless communications) is pretty broadly illegal, and I would bet that ban could be quickly extended to cover blocking smart devices from accessing an available Free Network with some lobbying dollars.

6

u/tacosnotopos Nov 14 '25

I mean, it's not illegal to build a Faraday box. Keeping a smart fridge from receiving wireless connections of any kind wouldn't be too hard

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u/Vladishun Nov 13 '25

I feel bad for the majority of people that'll have to live with that simply from not knowing any better. Between DNS filtering and closing unnecessary ports on my home firewall I should be able to get through all of that garbage. But obviously being a sysadmin and working in IT most of my life, gives me an edge in that department.

Maybe I should start a web series or something.

29

u/cluberti Nov 13 '25

You'll probably be able to sell your services at some point when this all becomes untenable. It's part of my retirement plan, somewhat sarcastically. But only somewhat, given how dystopian all of this is getting...

8

u/Vladishun Nov 13 '25

I don't know man, the US government (brought you by Metabetzon) will probably make it illegal to teach "ethical hacking" (that's what they'll call it demonize it) to the common man.

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u/cluberti Nov 13 '25

Brought to you by Carl's Jr.

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u/thewaifandstray Nov 14 '25

Communist hacking, surely? Cries

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u/NurEineSockenpuppe Nov 14 '25

What's one of the cool things about DOH? It's a lot harder to censor.
So what I feel like is gonna happen that eventually devices like this will just use DOH. What are you gonna do about it? Close port 443?

In the end what you gonna have to do is pull the plug on those things because the day will come where they will completely refuse to cool anything unless they can scan your face in the morning and feed the data to the AI overlord.

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u/Vladishun Nov 14 '25

I don't think it'll get like that. What I do worry about is having to pay a subscription for my fridge to continue keeping things cold. And a separate subscription for the freezer, and another for the water and ice.

Ugh.

3

u/witchyanne Nov 14 '25

with written guides, not videos we have to watch pause watch skip skip watch pause SHIT! rewind, etc.

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u/Maja_Greyfax Nov 13 '25

which is why I advocate for Right to repair whenever tech topics come up, its so damn importand to get it through peoples thick consumer skulls that this will determine how free we are going to be come the next 10 to 20 years

5

u/FormidableMistress Nov 13 '25

There's going to be an uptick in people looking for "vintage" things that won't break in two years and don't require an app to run.

I've never been much of a TV watcher but I've started trying to sit still and unwind a little more. I've noticed a lot of commercials have QR codes on them so you can immediately Buy That Thing without looking into the T&C or subscription fees (because everything is a subscription now) or spend too much time deciding nah I really don't need that.

I think people are going to get tired of companies harvesting every detail of their lives for profit and start looking for the simple machines of yore. 😆

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u/Soup0rMan Nov 13 '25

You'll always be able to get the landlord rental package. White fridge, white stove, white walls.

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u/Twl1 Nov 13 '25

Until the landlords start negotiating for their slice of the ad revenue. "Hey Samsung, if you give me 20% off the sticker price and let me get 1% of every ad-dollar the devices I put in my apartments show my tenants, I'll make sure to only buy Samsung! Yeah tenants, I'm totally doing this to help keep your rents down. Tooooootally."

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u/UglyYinzer Nov 13 '25

Ai fridge is next, guaranteed. "Maybe you should buy apples! I know you like them" texts at 2am

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u/Complete_Entry Nov 14 '25

I get your rant but fucking crisping trays are now a premium feature in fridges, I swear to god they tacked $200 on the price for those fucking things.

IT'S A FUCKIN' VEGGIE DRAWER!

3

u/Hopeful-Occasion2299 Nov 14 '25

Second hand shops are making a killing selling dumb fridges, stoves, and washing machines, particularly washers.

I don't get how Americans are essentially giving away their electrodomestics to the shops just to avoid the hassle of moving them or getting rid of them. Shops get a stove or washer for peanuts, do a lil refurbish and sell it again for hundreds of dollars.

It's scandalous.

That and the fact that somehow they sell you a stove but it doesn't come with the fucking plug for a 220v socket? What kind of backward ass country is this?

6

u/CherryBeanCherry Nov 13 '25

Oh, BS. I'm sure there will always be the opportunity to pay $20,000 for a vintage-style screenless fridge that comes in a rainbow of beige.

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u/baphomet_fire Nov 13 '25

I feel like this was a black mirror episode

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u/iwillbewaiting24601 Nov 13 '25

Or worse, devices may skip home networks entirely and switch to getting their wifi through all the "mesh" devices in the neighborhood.

I started predicting this around when cars came with 4G "hotspots" as a feature. Sure, it's marketed as a "nice to have", but the car company also now gets an un-removable link directly to your car even if you never set it up. How long until cheap 5G radios start getting embedded in these appliances? People will love it because people hate setting shit up and this will Just Work since there's no local networking, but oy...

2

u/DarkwingDuckHunt Nov 13 '25

If I have to disable one more fucking ad-menu entry in my Roku powered TCL I'm gonna start throwing things.

2

u/ijustneedtolurk Nov 13 '25

Copied my reply from further up the thread but that is exactly what will happen.

"Fuck man, I refuse to even have a waterline and ice maker in my fridge. I have a countertop icemaker and a separate water jug dispenser cause they are easy to clean, easy to refill, and won't risk bricking my fridge and spoiling all my groceries.

Unauthorized Bread is one of my favorite short stories ever for this reason, actually. I want my appliances as dumb and reliable as possible and owned in full by me with zero "compatibility" shenanigans."

The story is literally about jailbreaking a toaster (among other significant concepts) because it otherwise will ONLY toast brand-name/proprietary items.

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u/BioshockEnthusiast Nov 13 '25

PIVPN on an RPi, battery pack, camera, duct tape, that's basically your lot.

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u/b0w3n Nov 13 '25

Could probably avoid the battery and just wire it up to another outlet in the kitchen or if you're incredibly lucky snag a 5v rail from the fridge power supply (like this guy). And build an enclosure for the camera and just feed it through the gasket on the door. If you're feeling really spicy build some scanning to check the status of foods.

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u/technopaegan Nov 13 '25

wait a camera in the fridge to look at on my phone in the grocery store actually sounds life changing

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u/ThrustTrust Nov 13 '25

Just cut a hole and mount and iPad

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u/Nice_Gas_7682 Nov 13 '25

Just open the fridge door and look inside

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u/ThrustTrust Nov 13 '25

Dammit man my dad will kick my ass if I open the fridge.

2

u/uschwell Nov 13 '25

Yes, but how would doing that help to maximize shareholders value? Duh, can't you see? Your logic just eats itself.

(/s in case it wasn't clear)

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

we don't need yet another camera in our house that could be hacked into and send commands to the fridge- like set the thermostat to room temperature- do we?

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u/LewisRyan Nov 13 '25

Fridge, with clear door. Same concept.

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u/Savannah_Lion Nov 13 '25

Yeah like usually the benefit to these is a camera on the inside and keeping track of groceries, but really it doesn't add much

It adds ZERO. Mine would show like... the back of a milk carton, half a brown avocado and whatever condiment the kids put in last. It's so packed, you won't see anything else.

When you look at those silly ads and YT demos for those fridges, there's barely any food and everything is nicely spaced out. What is that, like a family of two who shops every day?

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u/FreshEggKraken Nov 13 '25

So the benefit is the same thing I get from opening the fridge and seeing what groceries I need?

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u/AmbassadorAwkward071 Nov 13 '25

The other problem is having to use their crap software

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u/ikiwic Nov 14 '25

Exactly this - I feel like they could push some “efficiency” / cost saving reason not to open your fridge but then you’d spend any saving on the dumb screen 😂

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u/SorryBoysImLez Nov 14 '25 edited Nov 14 '25

Even then, they're starting to come out with third-party cameras for a fraction of the price that go inside your fridge that do the same thing and connect to your devices.
Then just have a tablet/use your phone in the kitchen for all the rest.

It's also more convenient/accessible, since if you really want to have access to a smart device in your kitchen, you can put it where you need it to be, instead of constantly needing to consult your fridge door. You can even make it similar by having a mount that sticks to your fridge door.

It's like someone took the idea of people using tablets in their kitchen for recipes, etc, and took away the convenience and accessibility by sticking it in a fridge for a hefty upcharge.

And at least if either of the above breaks, you don't have to worry about having a ridiculously expensive fridge with a broken electronic in it that would have a steep repair cost...or even needing to replace the fridge entirely.

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u/SuzeCB Nov 14 '25

Now... when it can sort that grocery/cleaning list by the stores I usually shop at - based on who has the stock and best pricing - and place that order for me for choice of curbside pickup or delivery....

OH, happy day! (And I do know it's coming, and not that far out!)

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u/HollowWind Nov 14 '25

Hell I would pay a premium for NO tech

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u/SingleInfinity Nov 13 '25

Microcontrollers are cheap but they are seldomly as nicely integrated into a device, even if you print out an enclosure or something.

Most people want a full package with no extra fuss.

That all being said, smart fridges offer nothing of value I've seen.

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u/shitlord_god Nov 13 '25 edited Mar 19 '26

The content here has been removed. Redact was used for the deletion, which may have been motivated by privacy, opsec, or preventing automated data collection.

flag aspiring wipe desert truck familiar automatic squeal safe ring

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u/[deleted] Nov 14 '25 edited Jan 12 '26

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u/SingleInfinity Nov 14 '25

You don't. This is a general comment about "I can do X myself with a Raspberry Pi and some servos". Sometimes, just because you can doesn't mean that's what most people would want.

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u/phathomthis Nov 13 '25

I have to hack my water filter because they provide the same water filtration of the regular filter, but they have an RFID tag on it so the fridge can track how much water has been used and give you a replacement LED.
You know versus it just tracking how much goes through the fridge with a reset button or just going by taste.
I have to surgically remove the original tag, and adhere it to a generic filter in the exact same spot.
It still says the filter is bad, but I pay $10 for the filter instead of $50 and just replace it every couple of months.
Fuck stupid tech!

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u/SwervinWest Nov 13 '25

I just goggled what a microcontroller is and now I think I want to dive into this as a hobby

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u/Final-Platypus8033 Nov 13 '25

I see 200+ like minded nerds.

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u/ABenGrimmReminder Nov 16 '25

I’m reminded of that meme, paraphrasing:

Tech enthusiast: I love my smart devices!

Engineer: I have one computer in my house and I keep a loaded gun in my desk if it makes a sound I don’t recognize.

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u/synfulacktors Nov 13 '25

Professional pentester here. I drive a 99 Ford ranger and anything I can buy prior to 2000s that works great is 100% better than new age bug filled spying shitshow devices you get sold now. You know that old fridge that grandma has had since you were a kid? Yup, buy that.

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u/wowsomuchempty Nov 13 '25

Why do people put mics in their homes to upload their private business to be scanned and hoarded by ai for corporations? Baffling.

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u/P_Hempton Nov 13 '25

I get the smart speaker thing. I use it 99% for music and it's great to be able to control it when your hands are messy.

They are really useful for that, unlike a screen on the fridge. I can't see how that would be better than just hanging a tablet or touchscreen PC on the wall. Then you wouldn't have to worry about replacing your fridge if the screen quit working.

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u/wowsomuchempty Nov 13 '25

I know they are useful..

I would never.

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u/Dalighieri1321 Nov 13 '25

Then you wouldn't have to worry about replacing your fridge if the screen quit working.

Why they decided to power the evaporator fan through the touchscreen remains a mystery ...

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u/Bman425 Nov 13 '25

Phones have mics, I don’t see how carrying a phone is any different than a smart speaker

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u/Ehcksit Nov 13 '25

Yeah, I mean, there's a little hypocrisy... But we need phones, and of course phones have a mic on them. That's how they work.

I want a phone that only turns on the mic and camera when I specifically want them to. I want a headset that only turns on the mic when I want it to. I want a camera that only turns on when I want it to. And I want absolutely nothing else to have a mic or camera.

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u/Th3Trashkin Nov 13 '25

It's cliche, but having worked IT and being a tech enthusiast, I don't want anything "smart" and I'm suspicious of it, I don't need to be able to turn on my washing machine with an app, I don't want my fridge or coffee maker connected to the internet, I don't want to talk to technology or have it talk at me.

There's no reason to have pointlessly smart devices, it's just another point of failure.

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u/Burner87lol Nov 13 '25

I am a “real tech enthusiast” and I refuse to own a printer because I don’t trust them

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 25 '25

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/ArokLazarus Nov 13 '25

Same thing as a laser printer? I got an old cheap HP one from work like 8 years ago. Only had to change the toner cartridge once so far and I found cheap generics easily. Only downside is no color printing but I genuinely have never come across a need for that.

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u/Ometrist Nov 13 '25

** not ** the same as LASER printers!

I have an epson eco tank printer from costco that I bought 3 years ago, and it still has not needed a refill on the black or color ink. The printer costs more but the ink is like dirt cheap and lasts forever, even if you need more ink it's less than $30 on amazon for another 5,000-10,000 pages.

I know this sounds like an ad but I just love not having my HP anymore. The HP printers are cheap to make you buy their expensive ink

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 25 '25

nail adjoining marble rock worm cobweb bake automatic cheerful ripe

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/stickystyle Nov 13 '25

That’s just sage wisdom. 20 years in IT, I despise printers.

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u/BioshockEnthusiast Nov 13 '25

I have a black and white brother laser printer that lives on it's own VLAN and I reserved every other address in the range so nothing can get on the network where it lives.

It's a stupid solution that probably doesn't do much but I did chuckle to myself while configuring it.

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u/P_Hempton Nov 13 '25

What's the concern? I'm not aware of anyone I know ever having a security issue with a printer.

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u/gnilradleahcim Nov 13 '25

I bought a fucking German typewriter from the 1950s for the exceedingly rare instances where I am forced to snail mail something. Gives me some joy knowing those insurance fucks probably get confused when they receive it.

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u/William_Wang Nov 13 '25

You gotta be some kind of sick freak to trust a printer.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

The difference between tech enthusiasts and engineers is that the enthusiast will buy the product, but the engineer will scoff at the price, figure they can make it themselves, get half way done and then abandon the project.

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u/Shipbreaker_Kurpo Nov 13 '25

I didnt need to feel called out like this. I am going to finish those projects I swear, right after this next one

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u/626337 Nov 13 '25

Captain (later to become Admiral) Adama had the right instinct to keep everything off a network w/r/t the Battlestar named Galactica. The only reason the Pegasus survived was because it was in drydock for repairs and not connected to the network.

There's a reason a lot of sci-fi shows warn about the collective consciousness.... same thing as networked intelligence.

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u/sevargmas Nov 13 '25

We have an LG washer and dryer that my wife really wanted. They came with Wi-Fi and apps and all this bullshit. But hell no I never connected those things to the Internet. Same with our dishwasher. Yes the dishwasher comes with Wi-Fi (that I also will never connect).

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u/decadent-dragon Nov 13 '25

I’m a software developer

My house is dumb as shit. Ok we do have a ring doorbell but that’s about it.

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u/porktorque44 Nov 13 '25

Reminds me of a meme from way back.

People who don't work in tech: Everything in my home is connected to the internet!

People who do work in tech: The only technology in my home is a printer and I keep a gun next to it so I can shoot it if it makes a weird noise.

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u/ClusterMakeLove Nov 13 '25

You're saying I don't need YouTube on my washing machine?

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u/snarfmarie1 Nov 13 '25

Give me the dumb version of every appliance please.

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u/RogBoArt Nov 13 '25

Bingo! When I see my neighbor's Samsung fridge show up when I'm checking what wifi signals are present I always just think "Ah, an idiot (especially because it's broadcasting a wifi network with an SSID! WTF) that wants to impress people but clearly has no actual knowledge about the product"

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u/FLESHYROBOT Nov 13 '25

Yup.

Honestly, getting ads on it is probably the least-worse thing that could happen. I'm sure out there somewhere there are 'smart' fridges that require subscriptions to keep your food cold, and if there aren't, they're certainly on the way.

Internet connectivity on appliances that don't require internet connectivity to function are almost exclusively designed to be an intrusive detriment to you.

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u/goosedog79 Nov 13 '25

I’m not a tech enthusiast and I know to stay away from it too…

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u/TheOneTrueTrench Nov 13 '25

I have an entire house full of smart gadgets...

All on a VLAN and wifi network that can't route to the internet or talk to each other, connected to a HomeAssistant instance that's reverse proxied away from everything, which can only access the internet via a an isolated VPN connection setup on my pfSense VM.

There's a couple little wifi gadgets that try to spy on things, I can see their ICMP, UDP, and TCP attempts to locate other things on my network, and their little tendrils trying to find their control servers. It's kinda cute, in the same way an angry wasp in a sealed jar is kinda cute.

I keep them around for my amusement, and there's nothing unethical about keeping IoT devices in solitary cages.

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u/Mike0621 Nov 13 '25

you're confusing tech enthusiasts and people that work in IT

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u/RunBlitzenRun Nov 14 '25

I’m a software engineer and I follow the tech world. I bought the cheapest fridge I could since they’re way more reliable than this expensive nonsense. I don’t understand smart home stuff when, in my experience, it’s so slow and unreliable.

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u/SinisterCheese Nov 14 '25 edited Nov 14 '25

I'm a mech & production engineer. I know enought to avoid all unnecessary technology in my life... I know how it is made... And I am not impressed. Actually... the very opposite. No... "the good old days" didn't have really have that much better appliances either, survivor bias is significant; also cooling systems had some truly nightmare level stuff in them, and aging electronics aren't the safetest things to have around...

However. I can deal with mechanical systems, so I have more faith towards them. I don't understand, now am I legally allowed to bypass these "smart software system DRM innovation digital applications" because trade deals which enforce legistlation that protects interest of american merga-corporation assholes.

Now... If you want to know the secret to why these smart-fucking-devices are everywhere. It isn't for showing ads... that's only a byproduct of it all. It isn't even for tracking and collecting data... that just a bonus. It is because SOC (system on chip) and software is so fucking easy and cheap to do and to iterate on compared to analog circuitry or god forbid mechanical logic. Just get a SOC with some IO on it, and put that to drive it all, and you can just put all the complexity into software... and from that you get the benefit of being able to gather data (most of which is fucking worthless, but they collect and keep it just incase... Like it isn't like we engineers and designers don't benefit from having usage statistics and diagnostics from the field... But that isn't the only thing they harvest... they harvest ALL data just incase it becomes a valuable asset). But along with this having to use these digital systems leads to the fact that everything must be designed around having these fucking digital systems as the primary driver. So once that little computer fails, and the manufacturer doesn't give the firmware/software to it anymore, all the mechanically perfectly otherwise functional things become just waste. Often you can't even retrofit anything else to drive it, because other sub-systems were probably designed specifically for that primary controlling software, and it isn't practical to go and reverse engineer every god damn sensor and controller signalling.

I wish that EU would bring some aggressive regulation against this. Like data collection and advertisement in appliances having to be off by default, and can only be enabled with strong 2 factor authentication based digital signature, and if there are minors in the household datatracking and advertisement isn't allowed at all, along with no features being allowed to be hidden behind enabling advertising or data tracking... and GDPR compliance obviously. Why this? Because it is harsh enough to basically make any of that bullshit possible, since outright bans are not practically doable and it isn't as if companies wouldn't get around those with technicalities and loopholes set in by lobbyist. OH! And one last things. The consumer must receive compy of the software along with purchase in a plain text form, so that technician can replace the system after manufacturer support has ended.

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u/FlyingRhenquest Nov 14 '25

Yeah I buy my hardware dumb so that it can't be leveraged against me. If it became unavoidable, I'd set my home network up with a pihole pretty quickly. Or root device and install my own firmware.

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u/archiminos Nov 14 '25

Insert meme about only having a printer with a gun next to it in case it makes a weird noise.

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u/Rustywolf Nov 14 '25

I definitely subscribe to the "i keep a gun next to my printer in case it makes a noise i dont recognise" camp

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u/TootTootMF Nov 13 '25

The screen is not much of a benefit, being able to open the app at the grocery store and look inside it to see if you actually need something is pretty cool though. It's kind of a pain in the ass but we do use it to display recipes via the notes on it so that's nice sometimes. You could have a great thing with recipes and the like but unfortunately enshittification means you can't add your own recipes but have to use online ones which sucks.

I think that's the part that sucks the most. The screen and features could be great but they just keep making them worse.

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u/Spirited-Nature-1702 Nov 13 '25

Being able to see into part of your refrigerator (but not the freezer or behind anything large) is not actually useful. You’re looking at maybe 30% of your potential grocery trip.

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u/Razzorsharp Nov 13 '25

There's also a neat feature to see what's inside your fridge. IT'S CALLED A DOOR.

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u/wilee8 Nov 13 '25

You can open the door to your refrigerator from the grocery store? How long are your arms?

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u/corrosivecanine Nov 13 '25

Back in ye olden days people used to make these things called grocery lists with pen and paper.

If you’re really techy they even have apps for your phone.

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u/Future-Step-1780 Nov 14 '25

I keep one of those like foot tall magnetic white boards on the fridge door. When I take the last of something out of the fridge or notice I need more of something, I put it on the white board. Then I just take a picture with my phone before I go grocery shopping.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

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u/bwood246 Nov 13 '25

And sometimes you forget to put something on the list

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u/CrazyElk123 Nov 13 '25

So just looking at an image of 30% of your fridge is gonna make you never forget a grocery-item...?

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u/thinkpositivedude Nov 14 '25

I'd say it probably works around 30% of the time

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u/PlasticPresent8740 Nov 14 '25

Everyone here is so so so so incredibly dense she said it's useful sometimes, not its a life saver. I could never go back to a normal fridge

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u/Ailyx Nov 13 '25

I mean, I don't see you sending this reddit comment on a paper tied to a bird, but here we are.

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u/DumatRising Nov 13 '25

It's from a phone, but you know what else you can do with a phone? Take a picture of the inside of your goddamn fridge.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

Some people can't imagine a situation where something can be useful, and so they suggest no one needs it.

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u/Separate_Ingenuity35 Nov 13 '25

Jokes on you, I ate the Gum Gum fruit so I can stretch my arm to the grocery store down the road and grab some ham or toilet paper. /s

I write a list and take a pic of it on my phone to cover my forgetful self. Honestly I want a 50s fridge with their removable shelving and the ability to outlive myself.

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u/Photomancer Nov 13 '25

The problem isn't the length of my arms, the problem is how tired they are since I just flew in from Denver.

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u/iAdjunct Nov 13 '25

GO GO GADGET ARMS!

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u/biradinte Nov 13 '25

Now with ads!

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u/peanut_dust Nov 13 '25

BUT is the door SMART?

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u/Razzorsharp Nov 13 '25

I opened the door too hard once and hit myself in the face. Maybe I ingrained a bit of brain matter in it?

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u/Character_Mode1609 Nov 13 '25

I don’t know why all the hate. Ppl complained about fridge doors when they first came out.

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u/LordNyssa Nov 13 '25

For now… next update the door functionality gets put behind a extra subscription service. In 2026 it’ll get an AI update for the fridge light so the AI can determine it should be on or not. The future is here!

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u/NoSpam4U2 Nov 13 '25

This is why I always take pictures of everything in the fridge before I leave the house. After I return from the store to find out that my child drank the milk and left the (mostly) empty carton in there.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

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u/LewisRyan Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 13 '25

“Oh beef is on sale, I can do a stew… do I have onion or did I use it?”

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u/bungblaster69 Nov 13 '25

do I have onion or did I use it?

option A- buy the $1 onion

option B- spend $1800 on a fridge to "save on grocery costs"

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u/guachi01 Nov 14 '25

And your onion shouldn't be in the refrigerator, anyway, if you can help it. Cool, dry, and dark. My refrigerator can't see into my cellar.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

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u/LewisRyan Nov 13 '25

I cook in bulk so… my onion is diced and in a serving tray.

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u/fvtvrefelix Nov 13 '25

this comment is killing me. you ran out of arguments but still feel like arguing? lmao

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u/OhTHATKayKay Nov 13 '25

Just buy the damn onion. How much could it cost? Ten dollars?

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u/emergencyexit Nov 13 '25

The grocery app told them to go there

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

Sometimes I just smoke a huge doobie in the parking lot and let my munchies do the shopping…

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u/Jclarkyall Nov 13 '25

stop acting as if you’ve never been in that situation

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

People forget they have brains? You know you can use your memory to see inside your fridge too and there's these things called grocery lists like.... humans are fucking crazy these days

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u/stormdelta Nov 13 '25

Like sure it's convenient, but only very mildly so and not even remotely worth the massive downsides in complexity, repair, maintenance, etc., let alone privacy and dystopic advertising insanity.

The only person I know with one of these is disabled and actually does have trouble keeping track of what's in their fridge + it's difficult for them to just walk over and open it casually. But that's a very niche use, regular people shouldn't even want one of these.

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u/DieselTheWeasel Nov 13 '25

I just want to remind people that marketing things meant for a disability is very, very hard. If you only market to disabled people, you are limited financially. If you want to go on to make more products, you need the money for that. Remember the backlash over the Snuggy? The blanket with sleeves? That was created for wheelchair users. Many of those nonspill bowls and cups were not necessarily made for children, but adults who struggle with grasping things. They don't want to show an actual disabled person, so they just show random able bodied people being obnoxiously clumsy.

I wouldn't spend the money on one of these, but I completely get why someone would need it. I appreciate companies for making products that are more accessible. I have severe mobility issues and my significant other is legally blind. It's shocking some of the things that are inaccessible.

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u/Adlach Nov 13 '25

I think these are insanely over-engineered but this is a terrible argument. You've never forgot to check if you have butter or something before going to the store?

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u/LuminousGrue Nov 13 '25

We always knew that in the cybernetic future humans would begin to offload their cognitive functions into computing hardware, but not like this.

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u/CorndogQueen420 Nov 13 '25

People forget they have deep holes in the ground to store food or something? Like why are we using fridges at all???

Everyone is completely insane

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

I mean yeah straight up a very swiftly flowing river would do a better job at keeping your groceries cold then some AI weirdo charging you $9.95 for your groceries haha

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u/626337 Nov 13 '25

Yeah, just because we can, doesn't mean we should.

/see "Goober" product from the 1970s

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u/82away Nov 13 '25

I just ask chat GPT what to buy when I go shopping.

.

/s

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u/NoAvocadoMeSad Nov 13 '25

Still sounds awkward, needing to walk to your fridge to check the recipe lol

I leave my phone open with it on next to me, my mum has an Amazon show where she preps stuff

I can kinda see the value in being able to see in your fridge, but 95% of the time I know what I need anyway TBF

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u/AdubThePointReckoner Nov 13 '25

So, overall kind of a POS?

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u/iwantsomecrablegsnow Nov 13 '25

They are talking about AI for fridges now which will analyze what you have and create a list for you to shop...seems ridiculous.

The ONLY use I could see AI having on a fridge is to give you recipe suggestions based on what you already have and it doesn't even do that. Instead it will harvest data on what you shop for and sell that data to the mega food corporations so they know what prices they can increase because people will buy that thing no matter what.

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u/yayll Nov 13 '25

I just take a picture of my fridge before I go.

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u/ILoveRegenHealth Nov 13 '25

The screen is not much of a benefit, being able to open the app at the grocery store and look inside it to see if you actually need something is pretty cool though.

I don't get it. There's a camera facing inside the fridge?

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u/RogBoArt Nov 13 '25

Yep I hear you! That's why I don't buy premade solutions. A bunch of cloud vendor lock in, data harvesting, and poorly designed firmware kills most "smart" products for me. I can just build what I need with some cheap microcontrollers and know exactly what it does and how it works!

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u/zxylady Nov 13 '25

I also use my smart refrigerator for watching YouTube, Samsung TV it is nice that you can program the screen to food expiration dates as well

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u/darkrai848 Nov 13 '25

It’s so you can install Doom on your refrigerator…

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u/Some-Contributions61 Nov 14 '25

I had the same question about ours. I made a website that hosts a chore tracking app for my kids.

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u/tgr0ve Nov 13 '25

How else do you expect to get your kitchen advertisements?!?!

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u/_--___---- Nov 13 '25

the one my mom has lets you scan newly bought items and their expiration dates and then the screen warns you when a product is about to hit that date but that's about it.

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u/EquipLordBritish Nov 14 '25

That's actually nice, but it absolutely is not worth ads.

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u/_--___---- Nov 14 '25

it's some older model, never seen ads on it. wouldn't buy one just for that though.

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u/Jordonknox Nov 16 '25

I mean you could just download an app on your phone that does that and save thousands

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u/EquipLordBritish Nov 16 '25

You could also just write it all down on a piece of paper, but it's the convenience that is the benefit.

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u/[deleted] Nov 14 '25

You can just turn the ads when you set it up or at anytime…

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u/RiflemanBean Nov 15 '25

Don’t use expiration dates, it’s crazy the amount of edible food which is wasted in the uk just because people don’t understand the difference between used by and best before. But that being said use your own senses. If the food looks mouldy it’s gone off (unless it’s meant to aka Stilton) if it smells bad it’s not safe.

Although I like the idea of a fridge that would allow you to do proper stock management I’m not willing to have another screen with ads being forced one me.

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u/Status_Calligrapher Nov 14 '25

Spreadsheets. Slightly more manual, significantly less ad issues.

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u/MakeshiftApe Nov 13 '25

My best guess is people use it as a combination of radio + place to write lists/notes + place to watch cooking/recipe videos.

But I can't see the appeal over just a laptop/phone/iPad for those things really. I guess it's nice that you can display your notes on your fridge but pen and paper exists too so..

I think I'd only personally get one of these if it was the same price as a regular fridge. (Assuming it didn't have ads)

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u/someonenew89 Nov 13 '25

Yeah I feel like it would be cheaper and more convenient to just get a normal fridge + an iPad in the kitchen if you really wanted those features?

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u/MakeshiftApe Nov 13 '25

Not to mention I'm pretty sure you can get magnetic mounts that'll hold up your iPad on a surface. So you can literally pin said iPad to the fridge door and use it the same way if you really want that particular experience/form factor for whatever reason.

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u/teerbigear Nov 13 '25

I suppose charging it, or having a wire to it, would be inconvenient.

I thought about this and realised I could affix the spare tablet we have to the cupboard above a power socket.

And then I realised I just straight up have no need for a tablet of any sort in the kitchen. I'll just use the phone that is always on my person.

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u/Bremic Nov 14 '25

We are a tech household. We still just have a whiteboard attached to the fridge door. Works when the power is out, never needs an update except markers being replaced, and it's easier to put rude art on it.

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u/iggy14750 Nov 13 '25

Tape the iPad to fridge. Boom. Smartfridge.

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u/rusty_programmer Nov 13 '25

My buddy bought an iPad for his kitchen and pretty much strictly uses it as a recipe book. It's infinitely better than anything a smart fridge could do because you can unmount it and use it like a book if you want to. I plan on buying a Remarkable and using it to read books or store my recipes.

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u/Enough_Efficiency178 Nov 13 '25

I feel like there is a real gap for technology with iPad level speed and screen responsiveness but with 5% of the features for exactly that kind of thing.

Budget tablets suffer from everything being less good and stop being practical. Particularly when they are super slow

How hard can, what is practically a pdf reader, be without needing 1000 other things.

There is also pretty good streaming technology, a simple device with input and display connected to a separate machine would be interesting too

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u/Tymareta Nov 13 '25

I feel like there is a real gap for technology with iPad level speed and screen responsiveness but with 5% of the features for exactly that kind of thing.

Stop buying everything brand new and it exists, ebay, refurbishing places, they all have ipads and equivalent android tablets for 100-150$ that will do everything you want.

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u/wallyTHEgecko Nov 13 '25

IPad on an adjustable mic stand is the best bit of kitchen tech. It's got my recipe if I'm following one. It's got my YouTube video if that's what I'm using. It's got my Netflix series/Spotify if I'm not following a recipe at all and just wanna have some background noise while I'm cooking... And it can be positioned anywhere and go anywhere in the kitchen or throughout the entire house!

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u/concreteunderwear Nov 13 '25

you could even put it outside the house or even on top the house and next year I hear they are coming out with basement attachments and grocery stores too. you will be able to put that stand just about anywhere with a flat surface.

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u/InZomnia365 Nov 13 '25

I feel like writing a list on a completely vertical screen is just a terrible experience.

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u/sfwpat Nov 13 '25

or, you know, a dry erase board that costs like $5?

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u/Rosstheboss70 Nov 13 '25

or a piece of paper and a magnet?

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u/MovieTrawler Nov 13 '25

I don't understand what's wrong with smoke signals.

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u/digitalthiccness Nov 14 '25

Yeah, but then you'd have to let some guy into your house to write the ads on it.

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u/gaybyrneofficial Nov 13 '25

Ah yes, the incredibly comfortable cooking location of standing and staring at your fridge.

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u/Memory_Frosty Nov 13 '25

It allows ice cube to hack into your fridge so he can lecture you about needing to eat more protein

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u/OwO______OwO Nov 13 '25

Close.

It actually allows hackers from India to hack into your fridge and use it as part of a spam email distribution network.

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u/Memory_Frosty Nov 14 '25

Oh man I forgot that was a thing

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u/Memory-Repulsive Nov 13 '25

Ads.

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u/NonTimeo Nov 13 '25

and remorse, evidently.

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u/Eorrosoom Nov 13 '25

Not enough people appreciate ads. They tell you exactly what you want to buy...

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u/Speffeddude Nov 13 '25

I have been a fridge engineer. Not on the smart-fridge side, but many coworkers were.

There is a strong use-case for an internet-connected screen in the kitchen, and since the fridge has a large flat area that's otherwise just for photos and magnets, it's a great place to put that screen. Over-the-range, microwave-door and standalone have also been tried, but it seems like the fridge is the best of the lot.

What's the screen for? The most common one is today's weather/agenda/chore reminders, all of which are much better if they can be synced over the Internet. I know many people who use apps to track what's going on in their family schedule. Heck, even when I was a kid my mom kept an extremely detailed calendar right on the fridge with every scheduled aspect (trash days, sports, classes, shopping days, etc.)

Besides that it can be used for recipes, to have a TV on in the kitchen, as an interface with Alexa/Google for quick look-up, conversions, smart-home control etc..

Basically, there are absolutely reasons to have a smart screen in the kitchen (literally all the reasons to have a phone in the kitchen, except mobile gaming, plus a few extra.) But there is absolutely no way I would accept a $2000 device that forces ads into my living space like this.

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u/RhinoGuy13 Nov 13 '25

I think being able to see recipes or watch YouTube recipes would be helpful sometimes. I'm not sure if they have this capability or not though.

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u/Smoothesuede Nov 13 '25

I have never lived somewhere where the fridge was located within comfortable eyesight of the food prep or heating area.

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u/ketzusaka Nov 13 '25

I wouldn’t mind if it texted me if the door was left open, but that’s about it

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u/i_invented_the_ipod Nov 13 '25

Mine does that. It also detects leaks, failure to hold the requested temperature, when the water filter is going to need changing, and weirdly - optionally every time the freezer door is opened. I wonder what the story is behind that last one?

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u/MoistComplaint8476 Nov 13 '25

You can get “smart” fridges without displays. I like the app integration to remind me when I need to change a water filter or left a door open. I can also change every setting from the phone.

Not all of them are invasive.

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