What Microsoft has confirmed
Microsoft's support documentation on Copilot app changes carries the notice. After retirement, customers will no longer be able to access Copilot on TVs, but they can keep talking to Copilot on web, desktop and mobile.
The TV notice sits in a larger update to the Copilot app. That update also covers retired features such as Group Chat, Podcasts and Deep Research, and a sign-in deadline for preserving content. Users need to sign in to the updated Copilot app by December 31, 2026 to preserve eligible chats and content. That deadline is separate from the TV shutdown. It applies to your Copilot account, not to the TV app.
How the story unfolded
The news first appeared as an on-screen message on LG sets. Windows Central's Zac Bowden spotted a "Notice of Microsoft Copilot Service Termination" on an LG webOS television. It said Microsoft had decided to end Copilot functionality across smart TVs and that the feature could stop working shortly. The LG text referred to "all TVs." Microsoft's own wording names only Samsung and LG, so there's no basis for extending the change to other brands.
Microsoft then confirmed the date on its support page. Notebookcheck reports Microsoft has since confirmed the December 1 deadline on its official support page.
Why people are tying this to backlash
Copilot's arrival on LG sets drew complaints. Advanced Television says the Copilot app's launch on LG TVs met widespread backlash in December 2025 after it was automatically pinned to the home screen, and that LG then created a way to remove it. Broadband TV News adds that the LG version opened Copilot through the TV's web browser instead of providing a native TV app.
The link between the complaints and the shutdown is an inference, not a confirmed cause. Notebookcheck notes that Microsoft hasn't given a specific reason, and that there's no evidence the earlier backlash prompted the decision. Broadband TV News likewise says Microsoft hasn't attributed the retirement to that response or disclosed usage figures.
Backlash is a plausible factor. So are low usage, a strategy change, or the cost of maintaining a living-room product alongside the main Copilot apps. None of these is established, so treat any single explanation with caution.
What Copilot did on these TVs
Samsung brought Copilot to its 2025 TVs and smart monitors. Samsung's announcement said it could be activated through Tizen OS Home, Samsung Daily+ and Click to Search. Broadband TV News lists the affected Samsung lines as Micro RGB, Neo QLED and OLED TVs, The Frame and The Frame Pro, and M7, M8 and M9 monitors. In practice it was an assistant you could chat with, ask about what was on screen, or use for show and movie recommendations.
A correction on the timeline
The BGR story that prompted this coverage says Microsoft announced the TV feature at CES 2025. The record is messier. LG's announcement was a January 2025 CES-era release. Samsung's integration announcement came later in 2025, on August 27 according to Samsung's US newsroom. Treat "announced at CES" as true for LG at most, not for both brands. LG's rollout came through a webOS update less than a year ago that added home-screen shortcuts.
What it means for owners
- Samsung and LG owners: expect Copilot to stop working by December 1, 2026. LG sets may show the notice earlier, and the feature might fail before the date.
- Other AI features: the announcement concerns Microsoft Copilot specifically. It doesn't announce the withdrawal of Samsung's or LG's other AI television features. Built-in assistants and search tools from the manufacturers aren't covered.
- Action required: Microsoft's notice gives none for the TV. There's no workaround, and deleting the shortcut won't extend service.
- Your Copilot account: if you use Copilot elsewhere, check the December 31 sign-in deadline above. It has nothing to do with the TV.
The takeaway
This is a small retreat with a clear lesson. Assistants forced onto home screens, especially ones that can't be removed, invite resentment. The cleanup now falls to the TV makers and to Microsoft. For Windows and Microsoft 365 users, the main point is that Copilot's reach is being reshaped around web, desktop and mobile. Microsoft hasn't said whether it will try the living room again.