HNGRYnsite Camera: From smart kitchen aid to e-waste
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The HNGRYnsite Camera is a smart refrigerator camera sold by Liebherr-Hausgeräte GmbH. The camera photographed the inside of a fridge each time the door closed and sent the images to the HNGRY app, letting users check their fridge contents while shopping.[1] Liebherr shut down the HNGRY app on 2025-03-31. Because the camera works only together with the app, the shutdown left owners unable to access their cameras, turning a device sold for €149.90 into electronic waste within about a year and a half of its launch.[2][3]
Background
[edit | edit source]Liebherr introduced the HNGRYnsite Camera in late 2023.[3] The modular camera can be fitted inside fridges of any brand and was sold through the Liebherr webshop for €149.90.[1][3] Its battery lasts around three months and recharges over USB-C.[1] Each time the fridge door closes, the camera takes a photo of the contents, which the HNGRY app displays so users can see while shopping what they still have at home.[1]
App shutdown
[edit | edit source]On 2025-02-24, Golem reported that Liebherr would shut down the HNGRY app on 2025-03-31.[3] The official FAQ confirmed all HNGRY and HNGRYnsite services would end on 31 March 2025, with the xtraHNGRY subscription terminating automatically.[2] Liebherr gave no detailed reason for the shutdown, describing it as a difficult decision to concentrate on another strategy.[2][3] The camera was developed specifically for the HNGRY app and works only in connection with it, so with the shutdown there is no longer any access to the cameras.[2]
Liebherr's response
[edit | edit source]Customers who bought their cameras directly from the Liebherr webshop automatically receive a full refund to their original payment method, a process Liebherr said would begin after the shutdown and could take up to four weeks.[2] Buyers who purchased from other retailers are directed to those retailers for refunds; Liebherr itself refunds only webshop purchases.[2][3] Annual xtraHNGRY subscribers receive an automatic pro-rated refund for the period after 31 March 2025.[2] The FAQ also states that personal data is deleted by 2025-04-30, and that support remained available by email until 2025-06-30.[2]
Consumer response
[edit | edit source]Golem reported that neither the Google Play Store nor the Apple App Store listing for the HNGRY app mentioned the upcoming shutdown, and that retailers were still selling the camera for around €150 without any indication that it would soon stop working.[3] The FAQ instructs owners to dispose of the camera as waste electrical and electronic equipment under the WEEE directive, including removing its lithium-ion battery before disposal.[2]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Always know what's inside with the fridge camera HNGRYnsite powered by Liebherr". Liebherr. 2024-02-13. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "FAQs zur HNGRY App". iamhngry.com. Archived from the original on 15 Oct 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Pakalski, Ingo (24 Feb 2025). "Kühlschrankkamera Hngrynsite wird zu Elektroschrott" [Fridge camera Hngrynsite becomes electronic waste]. Golem.de. Archived from the original on 22 Sep 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-29.