Hello. We appreciate you taking the time to leave your feedback, though we hate to hear you have a concern over the nuggets not staying frozen longer and you aren’t using the connectivity features. We regret any inconvenience you may have experienced. The ice bin isn't refrigerated, but the Opal design does recirculate ice melt to the water reservoir to ensure you always have fresh ice on hand. Also, while we designed this model with connectivity to add to your convenience, we also certainly understand if you prefer not to use that feature. Your feedback regarding these issues will be sent to our team for review – your insights are valued, as we always want to know what our consumers think of our models. If you have any other concerns or questions, we’re glad to help any time. All the best! -Sarah@GEA

Greetings - Thank you for sharing your review and experience with the Opal. We are sorry to see that it was having issues with making ice. That is never what we want. We're going to be sharing this review with our product team, this way they can review everything and work towards improvements. We hope that you give us another try sometime down the road. Let us know if you have any questions. - Jonathon@GEA

We'd like to assist you with your Opal making loud squeaking sounds. When the unit is in need of defrosting, it may start to squeak as ice starts to build up around the mechanisms. The defrost cycle is automatic, and may take 30-45 minutes. More frequent squeaking usually requires white vinegar cleaning to remove internal mineral scale buildup. If this doesn't resolve the issue, please call 1.866.907.6718 for further assistance.