Smart under-vacuum cooker will start charging $2 a month for companion app for 10-year-olds

Anova, a company that sells smart sous vide cooking devices, is facing backlash from customers after announcing that it will soon charge a subscription fee for the device’s companion app.

Underwater cooking video, according to sister site Ars Technica Good appetite“Vacuum cooking is the process of sealing food in an airtight container—usually a vacuum bag—and then cooking that food in temperature-controlled water.” Sous vide translates from French to “under vacuum,” and this cooking method ensures that the water remains at the desired temperature for perfect cooking.

Founded in 2013, Anova sells vacuum immersion cookers. The current third-generation Precision Cooker 3.0 costs $200. Anova also sells a $149 model and a $400 version aimed at professionals. It launched the free Anova Culinary app in 2014.

in Blog post Anova CEO and co-founder Stephen Svajian announced Thursday that starting Aug. 21, people who sign up to use the Anova Culinary app with their cooking devices will have to pay $2 a month or $10 a year. The app does different things depending on the cooking device paired, but typically offers sous vide cooking guides, cooking notifications, and the ability to view, save, bookmark, and share recipes.

The subscription fee will only apply to people who create an account after August 21. Those who downloaded the app and created an account before August 21 will not have to pay. But everyone will have to create an account, as some people have been using the app without creating an account until now.

“You helped us build Anova, and we intend to have you with us forever,” Svajian wrote.

According to Safajian, the subscription fee is necessary so that Anova can “continue to provide exceptional service and innovative recipes” and “maintain and improve the app, ensuring it remains a valuable resource.”

like Digital Trends He pointed out that the announcement came after conducting a contrast analysis. statement Samsung has announced that it will no longer allow users to remotely control their kitchen appliances via Bluetooth starting September 28, 2025. This means that remote control via the app will only be possible for models that offer and use Wi-Fi connectivity. Owners of affected devices will no longer be able to access their appliances via the Anova app, receive notifications, or use status monitoring. Users will still be able to manually set the time, temperature, and timer via the device itself.

Customers are excited.

Changing or removing features of a tech gadget that people have already purchased is a risky move and can anger customers who paid for a device that they expected to work a certain way indefinitely.

As of this writing, there are 104 comments on the Anova blog post, with many commenters stating that they would not buy or recommend another Anova device due to the changes. Many of them echoed a comment by Nathan Johnson, who wrote, “I just lost a very loyal and long-time customer.”

“Charging a subscription fee for a feature that used to be free is an act against the consumer,” wrote one commenter named Tony Nguyen. “I will never buy another Anova product again and I will tell everyone I know how horrible and greedy this company is. They have lost me and all my family and friends as customers…”