LG Copilot on webOS: Non removable AI tile sparks ownership and privacy concerns

LG pushed Microsoft’s Copilot onto a swath of webOS televisions via a recent over‑the‑air firmware update — and for many owners the new Copilot tile behaves like a system‑level feature that can be hidden but not uninstalled, touching off an unusually loud backlash about device ownership, post‑purchase control, and privacy.

Background / Overview​

In early 2025 manufacturers and platform partners signaled a clear strategy: put conversational assistants on the living‑room screen. At CES, TV makers including LG and Samsung positioned on‑screen AI as a convenience for content discovery, spoiler‑free recaps, voice navigation and accessibility features. Microsoft’s Copilot was the anchor of that pitch, promised as the conversational brain OEMs would surface on homescreens. That conceptual roadmap is uncontroversial. The friction emerged in execution: in mid‑December 2025 a routine webOS firmware‑over‑the‑air (FOTA) update reportedly added a visible Copilot tile to many LG TVs’ home ribbons and AI sections without a user‑initiated install. Owners discovered that, unlike ordinary streaming apps, Copilot often lacks the normal uninstall affordance in webOS’s app manager; the only available actions are typically hide or disable. Multiple community reports also show the tile reappearing after factory resets — the classic symptom that a component was delivered as a privileged system package or baked into the firmware image rather than installed as a removable Content Store app. Independent outlets and enthusiast forums have now reported the same pattern: users posting screenshots on Reddit and elsewhere, mainstream tech sites amplifying those posts, and community threads cataloging the predictable sequence — update, new Copilot tile, limited management options, and, in several cases, reappearance after reset.

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Why owners are upset: autonomy, privacy and precedent​

The psychology of ownership​

Consumers reasonably expect that software added to hardware they have already purchased will be optional. When an OEM treats a third‑party feature as a system component, the device starts to feel like a managed service rather than a private appliance. That loss of agency is the immediate driver of frustration documented across social feeds and forum threads. Users describe the experience in blunt terms — “forced AI,” “bloatware,” and “loss of control” are recurring refrains.

Telemetry and surface area​

Smart TVs already collect metadata: Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) features (LG calls its implementation “Live Plus”) identify what’s playing on screen to enable recommendations and targeted ads. Adding a cloud‑connected conversational assistant widens the telemetry surface to include voice queries, contextual prompts, and interaction timestamps. Even when such collection is legitimate for feature delivery, the combination of a non‑removable assistant plus existing ACR systems magnifies privacy concerns because users lack an obvious permanent opt‑out. Several reports specifically call attention to Live Plus settings being enabled by default in the same update that surfaced Copilot.

The slippery slope and precedent​

This incident is being read as part of a longer trend where platform owners preinstall or aggressively surface their own or partners’ services (recall prior controversies around non‑removable apps on phones, or browser pushbacks). The fear: an erosion of post‑purchase choice where manufacturers can retrofit monetization or data‑gathering features onto devices without explicit renewed consent. The current reaction is thus less about Copilot’s utility than about how it arrived and what control (if any) comes with it.

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Technical anatomy: why Copilot may be “unremovable”​

Understanding why an app behaves like a permanent fixture on a TV requires a short primer on embedded platform packaging:

• Some components on webOS are delivered as system packages or are baked into the firmware image itself. Those packages live at a privileged layer and are not exposed to the normal user uninstall workflow.
• A typical FOTA update can write new files into the read‑only root of the platform or add privileged packages that are restored on boot and survive factory resets if they’re part of the base image.
• The UI signal is instructive: when an icon lacks the trash‑can / uninstall affordance in Edit/App Manager, it usually means the system treats that tile as preinstalled. Community tests — hiding the tile, performing a factory reset, and watching it reappear — are consistent with firmware‑level provisioning rather than ordinary app installs.

From an engineering standpoint, bundling a service that deeply integrates with the homescreen and voice stack as a system app can be justified: it ensures low latency, reliable voice activation, and the ability to access on‑screen metadata. But that same approach removes the ordinary user control path, and that is precisely why many owners perceive the change as wrong.

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What vendors have (and haven’t) said​

LG promoted an “AI TV” roadmap earlier in the year that included Copilot as a partner integration; Microsoft and Samsung have also publicly described Copilot deployments on 2025 models. Those public statements confirm the intent to bring Copilot to living‑room screens, but they did not explicitly promise a forced, non‑removable install on previously shipped sets. Where vendor detail is thin is the packaging and consent model for post‑purchase updates: LG’s marketing materials describe expanded webOS AI features and an “AI Remote,” but at the time reporting surfaced there was no clear, model‑specific technical bulletin explaining why Copilot was delivered as a privileged component in certain firmware builds. Microsoft’s wider AI rollout and its internal sales posture have also been in the headlines: a report from The Information that Microsoft had lowered growth targets for some AI efforts prompted market attention and a formal company denial. That wider context — heavy promotional push for Copilot across devices while user adoption and enterprise sales show friction — is relevant because it helps explain why platform partners might aggressively surface Copilot on as many endpoints as possible. But the sales‑targets story itself is contested and was publicly denied by Microsoft. Readers should treat that corporate‑metrics reporting cautiously and note that vendor denials are on the record.

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Independent corroboration: what the reporting shows​

This episode is documented across multiple independent outlets, community threads and technical observers:

• Forum aggregation and internal analysis collected from enthusiast communities show the consistent pattern of a FOTA update placing a Copilot tile that is not uninstallable via the normal app manager; those threads also include user‑reported evidence that factory resets can restore the tile.
• Mainstream sites (Tom’s Hardware, PCWorld, Cybernews, Windows Central and others) reproduced Reddit screenshots and verified that the Copilot tile often acts like a web‑wrapped shortcut rather than a deeply native application in many affected sets, reinforcing the idea that it may have been provisioned as a privileged or web‑backed system item.
• Coverage also flags that LG’s own support documentation notes some preinstalled or system apps cannot be deleted via the standard app manager — a detail that aligns with user experience.

Taken together, community evidence and reporting from multiple independent outlets create a robust factual basis for the complaint: Copilot was pushed via update and behaves as a non‑removable, or at least persistently present, item on many LG webOS sets. Where the public record is weaker is in the exact contractual or engineering rationale for why the component was shipped in that packaging; those elements are vendor‑internal and currently unverified in the public domain.

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Practical mitigations for affected owners​

If your LG TV received Copilot and you don’t want it on your home screen or connected to the network, the pragmatic options are:

• Hide the tile from the home screen using Edit > Hide — this removes visual clutter but may not remove telemetry surface.
• Disable voice features and any microphone‑based voice activation in Settings to limit active audio capture. Confirm microphone permissions and the AI/assistant settings.
• Turn off or opt out of Live Plus (ACR) and ad personalization in your TV’s privacy or ad settings. This reduces automated content recognition and ad personalization.
• Keep the TV offline: unplug the Ethernet or disable Wi‑Fi during use if you don’t need smart features. This prevents the Copilot interface from reaching cloud services. (Obviously, this also disables other cloud features and firmware updates.
• Use router‑level controls (recommended for power users): block outbound domains or IP ranges used by Copilot or Microsoft services, or isolate the TV on a guest network with no Internet access.

The simplest router‑level block — a quick, actionable step — looks like this:

• Log into your home router’s admin console.
• Create a new firewall rule or content filter for the TV’s MAC or static IP address.
• Block outbound traffic to the domains or services you identify in network captures (if you can) or block Microsoft‑owned AI service domains as an interim measure.
• Save and reboot the device and the TV to verify network access is blocked.

Network filtering requires some technical comfort and can break legitimate features (updates, streaming clients that rely on Microsoft services), so proceed carefully. Many users report using Pi‑hole or DNS‑level blocking to achieve the same effect at the DNS layer.

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What to do if you want a permanent fix (and why it’s not simple)​

A factory reset in many reported cases restored the Copilot tile, strongly suggesting the component exists in the device’s firmware image — meaning a simple reset won’t remove it. The only robust ways to permanently remove a firmware‑level component would be:

• A vendor firmware update that explicitly removes the Copilot package or converts it into a removable app.
• A vendor policy change that adds a supported uninstall path in the webOS app manager.
• Installing a custom firmware (unsupported and risky) — not recommended for most consumers and likely to void warranties.

Given those constraints, the cleanest consumer option for avoiding a preinstalled smart layer is to use a separate external streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Nvidia Shield, or a dedicated set‑top) and treat the display purely as an HDMI monitor. That sacrifices convenience for control but is a durable way to sidestep platform lock‑ins.

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Legal and regulatory angle — potential trouble but no public enforcement yet​

Legal risk vectors for OEMs include consumer‑protection laws that penalize deceptive or unfair practices, and privacy statutes that require clear consent for data collection. Regulators in privacy‑sensitive jurisdictions have previously scrutinized smart‑TV telemetry and ad‑tracking practices; adding a non‑removable assistant that can accept voice input and be tied to ACR could attract further attention if vendors fail to provide clear, persistent opt‑outs and disclosures.
At the time of writing there is no public enforcement action specifically tied to this Copilot rollout, but precedent suggests regulators will pay attention if transparency or consent failings are alleged and persistent. Observers have flagged this as a plausible regulator‑worthy scenario and urged vendors to be proactive in adding uninstall options and privacy dashboards.

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Strengths of the Copilot-on-TV idea — and why they matter​

It’s important to separate the feature from the rollout:

• Integrating a conversational assistant into the TV can legitimately improve content discovery, accessibility, and convenience. Voice queries for navigation, natural language search, and contextual show recaps are useful functions for many households.
• When tightly integrated and opt‑in, assistants can lower friction for users who want hands‑free interactions or accessibility help.
• Deep integration can yield low‑latency voice shortcuts and richer contextual replies that leverage on‑screen metadata.

These are real product strengths — and they explain why OEMs and platform partners chase the integration. What undermines those strengths is not the capability itself but the rollout and control model.

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Risks and the core critique​

The essential problem in this episode is not that Copilot exists; it’s that it was provisioned without an obvious, supported exit ramp for consumers. Key risks include:

• Erosion of user control: System‑level provisioning removes the normal uninstall pathway and turns what should be an optional convenience into persistent fixturery.
• Privacy creep: Coupling ACR, ad personalization and a non‑removable assistant increases the scope for profiling and creates legitimate uncertainty about what is being collected and how it’s used.
• Reputational damage: Forced installs generate social backlash, returns, and negative press that can outweigh any short‑term engagement gains.
• Regulatory exposure: Opaque updates that change device behavior post‑sale could invite scrutiny from consumer protection agencies and privacy regulators.

The responsible route for vendors is to make these services easy to opt into and easy to opt out of — with persistent settings and clear language about telemetry. The present rollout failed that basic expectation for many owners.

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What LG and Microsoft should do now​

A pragmatic remediation plan would include:

• Publish a clear technical bulletin explaining which models were affected, why the Copilot package was delivered as part of firmware, and whether this behavior is by design or a mistake.
• Provide an immediate firmware update that either converts Copilot into a removable app or adds an explicit, persistent uninstall/disable option in the UI.
• Surface a centralized privacy dashboard in webOS with one‑click toggles for ACR/Live Plus, voice telemetry, ad personalization and assistant activity logs.
• Communicate proactively to owners via email, push notifications and support pages so that affected customers understand what changed and how to control it.

Many community threads and analysts explicitly recommend these steps; swift remediation is the path to repairing trust.

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Final assessment and takeaways​

This episode crystallizes a broader tension in consumer tech: the race to put AI on every surface colliding with long‑standing expectations of post‑purchase device control. The Copilot feature itself has legitimate value for discovery and accessibility when used by people who want it. The problem here is governance: shipping a persistent, firmware‑level assistant without a durable opt‑out or uninstall path turns a potential convenience into a trust failure.
For affected owners the pragmatic immediate steps are simple: hide the tile, disable voice features, opt out of Live Plus and ad personalization, and if necessary keep the TV offline or use an external streamer. For LG and Microsoft the remedy is equally clear: restore consumer choice, publish transparent technical details, and default to privacy‑minimal settings while preserving the option to opt back in.
The broader lesson for the industry is that how AI arrives on a device matters at least as much as what it does. Convenience and innovation win when they come with transparent choice, clear privacy controls, and respect for user agency. Until those guardrails become standard practice for in‑device AI, many consumers will prefer to opt out of smart features entirely or swap their smart platform for an external device they control.

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(Note: the observable facts summarized above are documented in community reports and multiple independent media outlets; vendor confirmation about the precise packaging and contractual terms remains outstanding and should be treated as an open item until companies publish technical statements.

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Source: MobileSyrup LG shoves unremovable Microsoft Copilot onto its TVs

 

[ChatGPT]

LG smart TV owners around the globe woke up to an unwelcome surprise in December 2025: a webOS firmware update quietly added Microsoft Copilot to their home screens, and in many cases the new tile cannot be removed through normal menus.

Background​

LG introduced a broad suite of AI features for its 2025 webOS lineup at CES and subsequent press briefings, and the company explicitly positioned Microsoft Copilot as part of that “AI TV” vision—an assistant to help find content, answer questions, and surface contextual recommendations. LG’s product releases and CES materials show Copilot integration as a headline feature of webOS 25 and the 2025 OLED evo models. Microsoft separately announced Copilot’s rollout on large-screen partners earlier in 2025, including a formal launch for Samsung TVs and monitors; the TV integrations promised a voice-and-visual assistant for search, recommendations and contextual cards. That partnership set expectations that TV makers would put assistants prominently on the home screen. What changed in mid-December was the distribution mechanic: multiple owners report that a routine webOS over-the-air (FOTA) update installed a Copilot tile that behaves like a system-level component rather than a removable app. The story first exploded on Reddit and quickly migrated to tech sites, drawing thousands of frustrated comments and tens of thousands of upvotes on the original community post.

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What happened — a clear timeline​

1. LG’s 2025 AI positioning​

• LG unveiled webOS 25 and its 2025 OLED evo lineup at CES, promoting AI-driven personalization features, AI Search, and explicit access to Microsoft Copilot as part of the platform experience.

2. Microsoft’s TV partnerships​

• Microsoft rolled Copilot onto partner platforms (notably Samsung in August 2025) as a big-screen assistant. That partnership established a model where Copilot could be surfaced as a default feature on smart TVs.

3. The webOS update and user discovery (December 2025)​

• A recent webOS update pushed to many LG sets added a Copilot tile to the main apps ribbon or AI/Assistant area. Owners found that the Copilot entry often lacked the usual uninstall affordance and could only be hidden or disabled — not deleted. Multiple posts document instances where a factory reset restored the Copilot tile, indicating the component may be delivered as a privileged system package or baked into the firmware image.

4. Viral community reaction​

• The original Reddit thread in r/mildlyinfuriating gathered tens of thousands of upvotes and thousands of comments as owners shared screenshots and vented about loss of choice and privacy concerns. Mainstream outlets amplified the thread within hours.

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Why users are angry: loss of control and the “unremovable” stigma​

Many owners are less upset by the existence of an AI assistant than by the rollback of control over their own devices. Smart TV users have long treated the home-screen layout, installed apps and uninstall workflows as a baseline ownership expectation. When a manufacturer installs something that cannot be fully removed through the UI, that feels like a step away from owner agency.

• Preinstalled or system apps historically appear on many devices; OEMs often allow hiding but not deletion for such apps. LG’s app-management behavior follows that pattern: when an app is packaged as a system component, the consumer UI usually lacks the trash-can/uninstall affordance. Users reported that Copilot often behaved this way.
• The presence of the tile on the primary ribbon makes Copilot visible every time users power on the TV — amplifying the sense of forced placement and perceived bloat. Compared to removable apps like Netflix or YouTube, a pinned Copilot that cannot be uninstalled feels intrusive.

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Technical explanation: why Copilot can be “unremovable”​

There are two common reasons an app or tile appears impossible to delete on embedded platforms like webOS:

• Privileged system package
  OEMs can ship components outside the regular app sandbox and flag them as system apps. System apps commonly expose limited management because removing them could break platform integrations. When an app is installed as a privileged package, the TV’s app manager may only permit hide or disable, not uninstall. Community reports showing missing trash-can icons are consistent with this packaging.
• Firmware‑baked component
  A FOTA image can include apps or shortcuts as part of the firmware. A factory reset restores the firmware image, and therefore restores any baked-in components. Several users reported that performing a factory reset brought Copilot back — a classic symptom of firmware-level inclusion rather than a user-installed store app.

Removing a firmware-baked or system-level package typically requires reflashing an older firmware or using OEM service tools—procedures outside most consumers’ comfort zones and, in some cases, outside warranty-friendly operations.

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The privacy angle: what “Live Plus” and ACR mean for TV owners​

A related concern is that LG TVs already include automatic content recognition (ACR) and personalization features under branding such as Live Plus. Live Plus can identify on-screen content (including HDMI inputs), and LG’s descriptions of these services explicitly tie recognition to personalized recommendations and advertising. That combination — ACR plus an always-present assistant — intensifies privacy anxieties because contextual signals make an assistant more powerful (and more valuable to advertisers).

• Several reports and user tests show Live Plus is enabled by default on many sets and can be labyrinthine to disable. Consumer groups have criticized the discoverability and opt-out experience for ACR features, arguing that acceptance is effectively required to use smart features.
• It is important to flag what is unverified: there is no public evidence that Copilot, as delivered in the recent update, introduced new categories of data collection beyond what LG already documented for webOS and Live Plus. However, because Copilot is an assistant that benefits from contextual inputs, users are right to ask what telemetry is shared with Microsoft or third-party partners. Those telemetry specifics have not been fully disclosed in a machine-readable, model-by-model technical bulletin at the time of this reporting. Treat any claims about new data capture by Copilot as requiring vendor confirmation or independent audit.

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Business motives: why OEMs and platform providers push assistants​

The push to put assistants everywhere is driven by a mix of strategic and commercial incentives:

• Engagement and monetization: Companies want features that increase time-on-device and provide new monetizable signals (recommendations, sponsored placements, premium assistant tiers). Community commentary notes that driving engagement supports future paid services.
• Platform lock and ecosystem: Integrating an assistant that ties into a broader cloud service can help lock customers into an ecosystem (account sign-ins, cross-device personalization, and tied services). Microsoft and OEM partners stand to gain by making Copilot a default on the living-room screen.
• Ad and recommendation signals: ACR and assistant integration create richer signals for personalized recommendations and ads—valuable for partners and advertisers. That incentive partially explains why TV makers include features even when users express resistance.

While these motives are explainable from a business perspective, they collide with consumer expectations about ownership and choice.

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What users can do right now​

If your LG TV received the update and Copilot is present, here are the practical options reported by owners and tech outlets:

• Hide the tile: Many owners can remove Copilot from the visible app ribbon or home screen using the Edit/App List UI. This hides the icon from sight but does not remove the underlying component.
• Disable specific features: Turn off Live Plus, limit ad tracking, and disable voice-recognition where possible to reduce contextual telemetry. Guides from How-To outlets and community threads walk through these menus on webOS.
• Factory reset (with caveats): Some users performed factory resets only to find Copilot restored, which confirms the firmware‑baked hypothesis. A factory reset may not remove the tile; it can in some edge cases, but many reports suggest it returns. Proceed carefully and back up any local settings.
• Network-level controls: Block outgoing connections for the TV or restrict internet access in your router settings. This prevents Copilot (and other cloud features) from functioning, but it degrades many smart features and blocks legitimate updates.
• Wait for a vendor update or statement: Large-scale rollouts often prompt OEMs to respond with patches or options (e.g., an opt-out toggle in the next firmware). Pressure from consumers and press coverage has historically led manufacturers to add clearer opt-outs in follow-up updates.
• Advanced users: Reflashing older firmware or using unofficial tools can remove firmware-baked components but risks bricking the device and voiding warranties. This is not recommended for most owners.

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Legal and regulatory considerations (what this could mean)​

This is an evolving area where consumer protection, privacy regulation and platform practices intersect. A few general points:

• Smart TVs are software-defined consumer devices; manufacturers’ update practices and bundled software choices can raise consumer-rights questions when functionality is added post-sale without a clear uninstall path.
• Privacy regulators in multiple jurisdictions have scrutinized ACR and tracking on TVs. If a vendor’s update changes the privacy posture of a device, regulators may expect clearer disclosures and easier opt-outs. However, the precise legal landscape varies by country and region and depends on whether the change materially alters data processing beyond previously disclosed policies.
• This article does not provide legal advice. Consumers seeking a legal remedy should consult counsel or local consumer-protection authorities.

Because laws and enforcement priorities can change rapidly, consumers should watch vendor statements and regulator advisories for updates.

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Industry context: Copilot, Gemini, and the “AI everywhere” trend​

The LG episode is part of a broader industry pattern: multiple companies are shipping assistants and LLM-powered features across endpoint devices. Samsung’s 2025 lineup, for example, shipped Copilot integration as a first-party experience on Tizen in August 2025, and other OEMs have been experimenting with their own assistants or third-party integrations. That trend normalizes assistants on every screen, but it also amplifies friction when users don’t want those assistants surfaced or when they can’t remove them. This dynamic has a visible consumer backlash component: grassroots resistance on forums and social media, repeated calls to “never connect your TV to the internet,” and renewed interest in non-smart or minimal-smart TVs. The push-and-pull is now moving from product marketing into ongoing post-sale experience and software governance.

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Strengths and risks: a balanced assessment​

Strengths (what OEMs and Microsoft can credibly claim)​

• Value-added features: On-paper, large-screen Copilot can simplify search, provide contextual answers and improve discoverability—useful for less-tech-savvy users or households that want a voice-first experience. LG’s AI features and Microsoft’s assistant are designed to reduce friction in finding content and answering queries on a TV.
• Ecosystem benefits: Tighter integration between hardware and cloud services can create smooth cross-device experiences and enable future premium services. For some users, those conveniences are worth default inclusion.

Risks and downsides​

• Perception of forced software: Packaging an assistant as a privileged, non-removable component undermines the principle of user control and fuels distrust, especially when no clear opt-out is provided. Community reports that factory resets restore Copilot only inflame that perception.
• Privacy and telemetry concerns: Combining ACR (Live Plus) with omnipresent assistants increases user anxiety about content-level recognition and potential data sharing. While there is no confirmed evidence that Copilot itself introduced new tracking categories beyond documented webOS telemetry, the perceived risk is high and requires transparent vendor disclosure. Claims about new data capture should be treated as unverified without vendor confirmation or an independent audit.
• Reputational damage: For premium hardware like LG’s OLED sets, being associated with “bloatware” and forced features can harm long-term brand trust—especially for buyers who prioritized the hardware over software ecosystems.

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How vendors should fix this (editorial recommendations)​

• Add a clear uninstall or opt-out: If Copilot can be disabled or uninstalled via an accessible setting, many complaints would evaporate. A simple switch in system settings—clearly labeled and explained—would restore user agency.
• Publish a model-by-model technical bulletin: LG should explain whether Copilot was delivered as a firmware-baked component or an OTA app, and provide stepwise guidance for those who prefer removal. Transparency reduces speculation and calms communities.
• Clarify telemetry and sharing: A concise, plain-language privacy notice that explains what Copilot transmits (and to whom), and how that interacts with Live Plus / ACR settings, would address the core privacy questions many users are asking.
• Respect default choices: If a feature benefits from default opt-ins for monetization, the vendor should still offer a one-click universal privacy/telemetry opt-out during initial setup and in settings, without forcing acceptance for core functionality.

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Conclusion​

The December 2025 webOS update that installed Microsoft Copilot on many LG TVs is a concrete, high-visibility example of a broader tension playing out across consumer tech: companies racing to embed AI and monetize services while many users insist on clear ownership and simple privacy controls. The technical mechanics (system app vs firmware-baked) explain why Copilot appears “unremovable” in many cases, and the presence of ACR features such as Live Plus heightens users’ privacy concerns.
For now, consumers’ pragmatic options are limited to hiding the tile, disabling tracking features, or disconnecting the TV from the internet. Most of the heavy lifting must come from vendors: clearer disclosures, accessible opt-outs, and firmware updates that restore straightforward uninstall or disable controls. Until then, the episode will remain a cautionary tale about balancing post-sale software updates and the expectations of device ownership.

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Source: The Daily Dot "Designed to just harvest my data": LG TV consumers discover the latest update downloaded Microsoft Copilot—and can't be deleted