June Oven Lost Its App and Echo Lost a Voice Command

Weber switched off the June Oven’s app and cloud on 22 September 2026, and the oven still cooks from its own touchscreen; four older Echo speakers lost Alexa voice control of their AUX input in early October, by Amazon’s statements to Ars Technica and The Verge, and the jack itself still plays. The exception is Samsung’s: an update fault on 22 September left some of its fridges in Korea with no power or screen, and Samsung’s notice sends owners to its service centres.

Two of these are features removed on purpose, and in both the appliance still does its main job. What went in each case was the part that depended on the maker’s servers or the maker’s software decisions, and what stayed was the part that runs on the device. The Samsung case is different in kind: a fault, not a decision, and it reached the core job.

The three cases

Maker	Device	What was removed or ended	Date	What still works	Source
Weber	June Oven	The June app, cloud services, remote control, live video, app-only recipes, app notifications, software updates	22 Sep 2026	Cooking and the features on the oven’s own touchscreen	Weber support pages
Samsung	Some smart fridges in Korea	Not a removal: power and screen failed after a faulty update	22 Sep 2026	Affected units: nothing until serviced. Samsung says no other market was hit	Samsung Members Korea notice, 23 Sep
Amazon	Echo Plus (2nd gen), Echo (3rd gen), Echo (4th gen), Echo Studio (1st gen)	Alexa voice commands for the AUX input	Reported 6 Oct 2026	The AUX jack, AUX control in the Alexa app, Bluetooth	Reported: Ars Technica and The Verge, 6 Oct

Weber’s June Oven: the app is gone, the oven is not

Weber’s support page is plain about it: “app-based features and cloud-connected services will no longer be available. However, your June Oven itself will continue to function for cooking and core oven operations. The oven is not being disabled.”

What owners lost, in Weber’s list: remote monitoring or control from a phone, live video through the app, app-only recipes and premium recipe subscriptions, and app notifications. Weber says the list “may include” these, so it is not necessarily complete. What stays is whatever the oven can do from its own screen; Weber says “features accessible directly on the oven itself will continue to operate after the latest update is installed.”

The quieter loss is updates. Weber told owners to install the last software update before 22 September 2026, and says “no software updates will be available after this date.” An oven that missed that update stays on whatever it had. Weber also says it has not made June Ovens since 2022, so the shutdown came four years after the last unit was built. The Verge reported on 22 September that food recognition on the oven’s own screen still works; Weber’s pages do not mention it either way.

Samsung: a failed update, not a removed feature

Samsung’s notice, posted on 23 September on the SmartThings board of its Korean Samsung Members community by its kitchen-appliance team, reads in our translation: “Yesterday (9/22), an error occurred during the testing process for a Samsung refrigerator software update, and abnormal symptoms were confirmed in the power and screen of some customers’ refrigerators.” It says Samsung is “taking emergency measures as a top priority” through its service centres, and links to engineer-visit booking.

The notice gives no model list and no number of fridges. The details beyond it are reported. Ars Technica, citing Star News Korea, said most affected units were four-door Bespoke AI fridges from 2024 or later, and that the update was pushed through SmartThings. Samsung told Ars the issue “has been limited to Korea, with no impact identified to overseas markets” and that it suspended the testing when reports came in.

This is the one case of the three where the appliance stopped doing its job. A fridge whose software can switch it off can be switched off by a bad update, which is a risk a buyer cannot see on a spec sheet.

Amazon Echo: a voice command, not the jack

Amazon’s change is narrower than some headlines suggest. Ars Technica reported on 6 October that owners received an email saying “voice commands to control your Echo device’s Aux input are no longer available”, with requests such as “Alexa, play from line in” no longer working, and that an Amazon spokesperson confirmed it. The Verge quoted Amazon the same day: “We recently notified the very small number of customers using voice requests to play or pause audio from the aux audio input on select Echo devices that this functionality will no longer be supported.”

Both outlets report that the physical AUX input still works, that it can still be switched in the Alexa app, and that Bluetooth is unaffected. Amazon gave neither outlet a reason. We found no notice about it on aboutamazon.com, and Amazon’s device help pages are on its retail site, which we do not read, so this rests on those two reports.

What to check before buying

None of these checks would have stopped a faulty update. They do tell you how much of a device depends on its maker staying interested.

1. A dated support promise. Some makers print one: Google lists a minimum security-update date for every Nest device in its update table, and TV platforms range from seven years to no stated period at all, as our comparison of smart TV update promises found. Feature announcements are not the same thing. Samsung’s 7 September release on new appliance software ends: “Timelines, features, and availability are subject to change without notice.”
2. What runs on the device itself. The June Oven kept everything on its touchscreen and lost everything in its app. Before buying, check which functions the appliance’s own controls reach, and treat anything app-only as something that can end.
3. What works with the internet line unplugged. Disconnect the line coming into your router, not the router, and see what still responds; why a smart home stops working when the internet drops walks through the test.
4. Matter, where the category offers it. Amazon’s developer documentation says a Matter connection “enables Alexa to control your device locally during Internet outages or when your add-on isn’t available”, and its Multi-Admin feature lets one device join several smart home platforms. That gives basic control a route that does not run through one maker’s app.

Questions people ask

Does the June Oven still work after the app shutdown?

Yes, as an oven. Weber says the June Oven “will continue to function for cooking and core oven operations” through its built-in touchscreen. What ended on 22 September 2026 is the app, the cloud services and software updates.

What features did the June Oven lose?

Weber lists remote monitoring and control from a phone, live video through the app, app-only and premium recipes, and app notifications, and says the list “may include” others. No software updates will be released after 22 September 2026.

Can Alexa still play from line in on an Echo?

Not by voice on the four older Echos with an AUX input, according to Amazon’s statements to Ars Technica and The Verge on 6 October 2026. The jack still plays audio, and the input can still be switched in the Alexa app.

Which Echo devices lost AUX voice control?

The Echo Plus (2nd gen), Echo (3rd gen), Echo (4th gen) and Echo Studio (1st gen), as reported by Ars Technica and The Verge on 6 October 2026. The Verge names them as the Echo models that have the 3.5mm port.

Why did Samsung smart fridges stop working in Korea?

Samsung’s notice of 23 September 2026 says an error during testing of a refrigerator software update on 22 September caused power and screen faults on some customers’ fridges. It sent owners to its service centres. Samsung told Ars Technica no market outside Korea was affected.

How can I tell if a smart appliance will keep working without its app?

Look for a dated software-support promise from the maker, and find out which functions run on the device’s own controls. Then disconnect the internet line, not the router, and see what still responds. Matter support adds a local route for basic control.