Samsung pilots ads on idle Family Hub Cover Screen in the US

Samsung confirmed on Sept. 18 that it is piloting advertisements on the idle door displays of some Family Hub refrigerators sold in the United States, saying the change will arrive via an over the network software update and will be covered by new Terms of Service and a Privacy Notice. The company said the program is limited to certain models and described the effort as an attempt to "enhance every day value" for appliance customers, but it did not specify which refrigerators will be included.

The advertisements will appear on the Cover Screen, the panel that shows information when the main Family Hub screen is idle, according to Samsung. The company said ads may be shown on themes such as Weather, Color and Daily Board, while Art Mode and picture albums or Gallery themes will remain free of advertising. Individual ads can be dismissed and will not reappear during the campaign period, Samsung added.

The rollout was first noticed this week when a user posted a changelog image on Reddit describing the update. Early reports questioned whether the screenshot was genuine or applied to a different product; Samsung’s statement confirmed the company is conducting a pilot for "promotions...