LG owners are reporting that a recent webOS firmware update is placing
Microsoft Copilot onto their TVs as a preinstalled app tile that, in many cases, cannot be removed — it can only be hidden — and the community backlash has been swift and unusually pointed.
Background / Overview
In early 2025 Microsoft announced plans to bring
Copilot — its conversational AI assistant — to living‑room screens, with OEM partners including Samsung and LG describing integrations at CES and in follow‑on product messaging. Samsung has publicly rolled Copilot into selected 2025 models; LG likewise flagged an AI‑forward webOS roadmap and an “AI Remote” concept that would surface Copilot or similar assistants on the home screen. What changed this week is the distribution mechanics and the user experience: multiple LG owners discovered a Copilot tile on their home screen after a routine firmware‑over‑the‑air (FOTA) update. Community reporting consistently shows the same detail — when users open the TV’s app management UI they find
no uninstall option for Copilot; the UI offers only
hide or
disable. In several documented cases a factory reset restored the same Copilot tile, strongly suggesting the component was delivered as a privileged or firmware‑baked package rather than an ordinary removable app.
Those on‑the‑ground reports have been amplified on Reddit and enthusiast forums and have attracted mainstream coverage and further community investigation. The pattern of surprise installs, lack of an uninstall affordance, and reappearance after reset has driven the core anger: many owners feel a feature was forced on a device they already paid for, and that their ability to control what runs on their TV has been eroded.
What exactly happened (the observable facts)
- Multiple LG webOS owners received a routine FOTA update and saw a new Copilot tile added to their home screen.
- When attempting to manage apps via the normal Edit / App Manager workflows, Copilot does not show the usual uninstall or delete affordance; at best it can be hidden.
- Several users report that performing a factory reset brought the Copilot tile back, indicating the app is part of the firmware image or installed as a system‑level package.
- Community advice has focused on hiding the tile, turning off LG’s ACR (“Live Plus”), disconnecting the TV from the network, using network‑level blocking (Pi‑hole/router rules), or running an external streaming device as a mitigation.
These are the verifiable, community‑reported behaviors;
what remains unconfirmed at the time of writing is the vendor explanation of why Copilot was delivered as a system component on certain firmware builds, and whether any new telemetry or audio‑capture behavior beyond existing webOS signals was added. Those engineering and telemetry details require vendor confirmation or independent forensic analysis to verify.
Why users are so upset — the three overlapping sensitivities
- Loss of device autonomy. Consumers reasonably expect optional apps and partner services to be removable from hardware they purchased. A non‑removable assistant feels like forced software and reduces the sense of ownership.
- Privacy and telemetry expansion. LG’s webOS already includes Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), marketed as Live Plus, which can identify what’s on the screen for personalization and advertising. An assistant that benefits from on‑screen context logically increases the telemetry footprint — and when that assistant is installed without clear opt‑in, users worry about expanded profiling and ad targeting. LG’s Live Plus controls exist in menus but must be toggled off; independent guides document how to do that.
- Opaque software updates. Firmware updates are expected to patch security bugs and add stability; surprise additions that change the device behavior or add persistent services — particularly ones tied to third‑party ecosystems — violate trust when they arrive without clear patch notes or consent flows.
Technical mechanics — how an app becomes effectively undeletable on webOS
There are two well‑understood packaging patterns used by OEMs that explain the behavior users report:
- Privileged system package: the OEM installs the component outside the user app sandbox and flags it as a system app. Platform app managers often expose only a hide or disable action for such packages, not uninstall. Community tests showing hide but not delete are consistent with this pattern.
- Firmware‑baked component: the app is incorporated into the firmware image that the TV boots from, so a factory reset restores the same image and reintroduces the app. Users reporting the tile returns after reset provide strong empirical evidence for this packaging model.
Both techniques are technically legitimate in the embedded world — they’re commonly used for DRM agents, low‑level services, or deeply integrated platform components — but they conflict with user expectations about removable software and opt‑out control on consumer devices.
Cross‑checking vendor positioning and prior moves
Microsoft and OEMs publicly signaled Copilot on TVs at CES 2025 and in subsequent press materials; Samsung’s rollout details for supported models were published and widely reported, and Microsoft described the broader strategy to surface Copilot on large screens. LG’s public messaging emphasized a webOS AI roadmap and Copilot shortcuts, but vendor communications do not uniformly specify installation packaging or whether the Copilot tile would be delivered as a non‑removable system app on particular firmware images. That gap is material and leaves the strongest immediate evidence for non‑removability in user reports and screenshots rather than in a vendor technical bulletin. Separately, LG previously drew criticism for adding homescreen and screensaver ads to webOS and has maintained an ad and personalization business that uses ACR signals. That commercial context helps explain the source of privacy sensitivity in the current reaction: many owners see a pattern where the homescreen becomes monetized and more telemetry is requested by default.
What LG’s privacy and settings controls already provide (and how to use them)
LG documents the
Live Plus feature (ACR) and shows the menu path for toggling it. Independent privacy guides and consumer outlets have repeatedly published instructions to turn off Live Plus and limit ad tracking on webOS. Turning these settings off reduces many ACR and personalization flows, though it does not remove an embedded system app. If privacy is the concern, this is the immediate, vendor‑supported starting point:
- Settings → All Settings → General → System → Additional Settings → Live Plus (menu wording varies by model).
Multiple consumer sources also recommend opting out of ad personalization, enabling “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” if present, and reviewing User Agreements in Privacy & Terms to opt out of Viewing Information or Voice Information where possible. These steps lower the amount of data used for interest‑based advertising and ACR.
Practical mitigations for affected owners (ranked from least to most disruptive)
- Hide the Copilot tile and avoid signing in. If the tile can be hidden, that removes the daily annoyance and limits account linkage for personalization.
- Turn off Live Plus and related privacy settings. Disable Live Plus, limit ad tracking, and opt out of viewing and voice agreements in the TV’s privacy menus. This reduces ACR and many personalization signals.
- Keep the TV offline. Disconnect Wi‑Fi/Ethernet to prevent cloud calls, updates, and telemetry. This protects privacy but disables native streaming and smart features.
- Use an external streamer. Run your streaming through Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, or Nvidia Shield and use the TV as a “dumb” display. This sidesteps webOS for everyday viewing.
- Router‑level blocking. Implement Pi‑hole or firewall rules to block known telemetry and ad domains. This requires networking know‑how and careful whitelisting, and it can break legitimate platform services.
- Factory reset (test cautiously). If the app is user‑level, a reset may remove it. But if it’s firmware‑baked, the reset will restore the app. Community reports indicate the latter in many cases.
- Replace the platform. For some privacy‑conscious buyers, the pragmatic long‑term fix is to stop using the built‑in smart layer and rely on a third‑party streamer or choose a different TV platform where vendor control is less intrusive.
Each option has tradeoffs: network blocking can break service discovery, external streamers forfeit integrated UX and certain accessibility features, and staying offline defeats the purpose of a “smart” TV. For many pragmatic owners the best short‑term balance is: hide the tile, opt out of Live Plus and ad personalization, and run a dedicated streamer for heavy use.
Benefits — why OEMs and Microsoft are doing this
It’s important to state the positive side explicitly: a properly implemented, opt‑in conversational assistant on a TV can offer genuine user value:
- Improved content discovery: conversational search across multiple streaming apps and richer on‑screen cards can reduce friction in finding shows.
- Accessibility: voice navigation and conversational summaries help users with mobility or vision impairments.
- Contextual companion features: scene summaries, cast info, or sports stats presented alongside video can be compelling use cases.
From Microsoft’s perspective Copilot on TVs extends reach and fosters ecosystem continuity with Xbox and Windows; for LG it’s a feature that helps differentiate webOS in a crowded market where panel quality is increasingly similar. Those commercial rationales are understandable and real.
Risks, tradeoffs, and regulatory considerations
- Privacy risk: combining ACR signals with a conversational assistant increases the fidelity of contextual personalization unless limited by robust privacy defaults and transparent data‑use policies. Community reporting has flagged this risk, and the vendor confirmation of telemetry changes is required to adjudicate its scope.
- Consumer‑rights optics: shipping software that cannot be removed by normal consumer workflows can invite regulatory scrutiny in markets sensitive to digital ownership and unfair commercial practices.
- Security surface area: any cloud‑connected agent that is privileged on the device increases the potential attack surface if not properly sandboxed and updated.
- Reputational cost: quick feature pushes that feel like forced software can produce outsize PR damage relative to the underlying capability — the U2/iTunes example is an instructive analog of forced distribution provoking broad backlash.
Regulators and consumer advocates have been watching smart‑TV telemetry and ACR for years; a high‑profile forced install of a third‑party assistant will likely draw attention from privacy watchdogs, consumer bureaus, and press outlets unless vendors respond with clear mitigation and communication.
How vendors should have handled this (and how they still can)
Best practice would include:
- Explicit opt‑in during update flows rather than silent installs.
- Clear, prominent patch notes describing the new component, its permissions, and the removal path.
- Easy, persistent opt‑outs for ACR and any Copilot‑specific telemetry; user agreements should not be the only place these defaults are set.
- A reversible delivery model so that partners’ apps are installed as removable store packages unless deeply integral to core UX.
- Independent audits and privacy‑by‑design documentation for contextual assistants that access on‑device sensors or ACR signals.
If LG or Microsoft wish to reduce the firestorm, they should publish a clear technical note explaining which firmware builds introduced Copilot, why the package was delivered as it was, and how users can remove it (or when a removal option will be provided). Until vendors publish that level of detail, user reports remain the main source of evidence and the core trust gap will persist.
What to watch next (short list)
- Official statements or support documentation from LG clarifying which models and firmware versions are affected and the intended installation model.
- Microsoft commentary describing data handling, on‑device vs cloud processing, and the privacy model for Copilot on TV.
- Independent technical analysis (firmware inspection or network captures) that proves whether Copilot introduces new telemetry flows or ambient audio capture beyond existing webOS behavior.
- Regulatory inquiries or consumer watchdog interest if the issue is not resolved with clear remediation options.
Until vendors address these questions publicly, community reporting and independent analysis will remain the principal sources for understanding the scope and implications of the update.
Bottom line — a pragmatic verdict
The core technical problem is straightforward: LG appears to have used a platform delivery method that treats Copilot as a privileged or firmware‑baked component in many affected firmware builds, which makes it effectively non‑removable for end users via normal app management flows. That engineering choice is defensible from a platform‑integration standpoint but
politically toxic in consumer markets where ownership, consent, and privacy are highly sensitive issues. Community reports and screenshots provide strong experiential evidence of the behavior; vendor confirmation is required to turn that into a fully verified engineering explanation.
Owners who value privacy and control should act now: hide Copilot, disable Live Plus and related ad personalization, and consider using an external streamer or disconnecting the TV if the presence of an embedded assistant is unacceptable. Vendors that want to avoid further reputational damage should restore simple uninstall paths for optional partner software and be far more explicit about the data lifecycle for any on‑device assistant.
The push to add conversational AI to TVs has legitimate product merit, but it must be balanced with transparent opt‑in choices, explicit privacy defaults, and clear removal paths — otherwise the feature will cost more in trust than it ever earns in useful interactions.
Conclusion
The situation unfolding on LG webOS is a reminder that the technical ability to push features to devices does not absolve designers and product managers from respecting ownership and consent. Copilot on TVs can be useful, but forced, non‑removable installations that expand telemetry without robust defaults will continue to provoke a strong, justified reaction from users — and may prompt further scrutiny from regulators and privacy advocates if vendors do not respond with clarity and remediation.
Source: TechRadar
https://www.techradar.com/televisio...in-its-next-update-and-yes-users-are-annoyed/