Manufacturers of Smart Products Provide Too Little Information About Updates

Many manufacturers of smart devices provide consumers with insufficient information about the period in which updates will be made available. Barely one in five companies does provide this information.

This is apparent from research by the Consumers’ Association, the Dutch counterpart of Test Aankoop. The websites of 86 manufacturers, which are active in eighteen product categories, were looked at. Think of smartphones, smart doorbells, lighting and televisions. Only nineteen manufacturers (22%) mention updates on their websites.

The Consumers’ Association does report that manufacturers are doing slightly better than in 2020. However, at that time, only fourteen percent inquired via their website about the period in which updates were available. ‘But there is little improvement to be seen in white goods’, the Consumers’ Association concludes: virtually no white goods manufacturer mentions updates on its website.

Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumers’ Association: ‘Everyone knows how important digital security is. Updating is essential in this. But for consumers, it is usually completely unclear what to expect’. Molenaar had hoped that manufacturers would step up and take responsibility. ‘That turns out not to be the case, and that is disappointing.’

Therefore, the Consumers’ Association advises opting for products of which they will receive software updates for at least a few more years.