- webOS update automatically adds Microsoft Copilot
- The app cannot be deleted
- People are concerned about privacy
If there’s one thing that would stop me from buying one of the best TVs in today’s online and connected world, it’s the fear of the manufacturer taking a perfect TV and spoiling it. And that’s exactly what some LG owners think is happening to their TVs in the latest update.
The conversation is taking place on social media including Reddit’s r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, where users are discussing an LG firmware update that automatically adds an unwelcome app: Microsoft Copilot. And to make matters worse, once the app is on your TV, you can’t remove it.
This is proving about as popular as the time Apple forced a U2 album into everyone’s iTunes library. Whether it was a good album or a bad album* didn’t matter. The problem was that Apple forced an album on millions of people and initially gave them no option to remove it again. It is widely regarded as one of the biggest public relations disasters in music.
Looks like if what LG is doing to its TVs was a U2 song, it would be Bad. So what happens?
Why aren’t LG owners happy with this webOS update?
Smart TV manufacturers’ aim to make money off TVs they’ve already sold you is one of the less welcome trends of the past few years.
For some time we’ve reported on TV companies using updates to implement unpopular changes, such as when LG added screensaver ads in 2024, when Roku tested an ad that ran before the home screen appeared, or when Google revamped Google TV with much larger ads.
The addition of non-removable Copilot seems like another step in a bad direction. This is more significant than adding a bit of advertising. This adds an AI app and it raises concerns about privacy and whether it gets any of your information.
As Reddit user defjam16 put it: “I’ve always hated bloatware, but installing an AI assistant (without explicit permission) that can’t be deleted, with unknown access to microphone and other services might just take the cake.”
ASouthernDandy is definitely not a fan – “Pre-installed crap is universal crap. If I wanted it, I would have installed it myself eventually. The whole reason it’s bundled is because no one would choose it.” – although their solution, “burn your television”, is not one I would recommend, for both financial and environmental reasons.
But the many comparisons to the bloatware infecting PCs and many phones also seem fair to me.
Satan-o-saurus says: “Tech companies have taught me to never install or sign up as a matter of principle any new features they are trying to get me to use, ever. It’s literally always a scam/something that will make my user experience worse/something designed to just harvest my data or otherwise take advantage of me.”
We’ve reached out to LG for comment and will keep you updated.
* It’s okay, but it’s no Achtung Baby.
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