It is the official position of the OU’s Rabbonim and many others, that standard Shabbos modes embedded in refrigerators and ovens are not an adequate solution for Shabbos.
According to most Poskim, using refrigerators without Shabbos mode or with these non-certified Shabbos modes are questionable because they rely on leniencies or lack of knowledge from the manufacturers.
Rav Yisrael Beslky zt’l and many other Poskim have always held the position that all appliances today should be reviewed carefully on how to use them on Shabbos.
Fortunately, together with guidance from Rabbonim and the OU, Zman Technologies has successfully created a 100% Shabbos solution for refrigerators that doesn’t rely on halachic leniencies. Users of Zman Technologies “Shabbos Keeper” can rest assured, that there are no electronics being activated by their actions during Shabbos. Additionally, internal computers are not reading, monitoring or recording any activity during Shabbos.
A recent article in the Ami Magazine caused some confusion which prompted us to clarify that, this endorsement applies only for refrigerators that are connected with the “Shabbos Keeper” attachment. Standard Sabbath modes do not carry this endorsement.
A similar solutions for ovens is currently being worked on, and will be available for Pesach 2020. Any current problems with Sabbath modes on ovens can be attributed to the manufacturers’ standard Sabbath mode and not to Zman Technologies “Shabbos Keeper”