A week ago, Samsung rolled out an automatic firmware update for its 2024–2025 soundbars. Unfortunately, the update caused major issues, bricking thousands of devices. Even worse, users whose soundbars received the update found themselves unable to reset their devices, making recovery impossible. We initially reported the situation based on a community forum post, which has now gathered over 216,000 views, at the time of writing. The rapidly growing number of views highlights just how many users were affected, leaving many frustrated and without a working sound system.
Samsung will offer free repairs to the bricked soundbars
Fortunately, there’s some relief. Samsung has officially acknowledged the issue, telling The Verge that a “software error” bricked “certain 2024 soundbar devices.” In response, the company is now offering free repairs for affected units. Samsung Electronics America’s audio chief, Jim Kiczek, confirmed this to the publication.
The issue primarily affected Samsung’s flagship HW-Q990D soundbar, users also reported similar problems with the HW-Q800D and HW-S801D models. The faulty firmware was installed automatically due to auto-update settings, leaving the soundbars completely unresponsive. They also became disconnected from Samsung SmartThings, meaning users lost all connectivity and couldn’t even attempt a factory reset.
To fix the issue, affected users will need to visit their nearest Samsung service center, as a physical repair is the only solution. The good news is that Samsung will cover all repair costs, even if the device is out of warranty, ensuring users don’t have to pay for the company’s mistake. Were you one of those whose soundbar got bricked because of the recent software update?
