- webOS update automatically adds Microsoft Copilot
- The application 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 world, where everything is online and connected, it’s the fear that the manufacturer will take a perfectly good TV and ruin 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 slightly infuriating subreddit r/, where users are discussing an LG firmware update that automatically adds an unwanted app: Microsoft Copilot. And to make matters worse, once the application is installed on your TV, you can no longer delete it.
This is proving to be about as popular as the days when Apple forced a U2 album into everyone’s iTunes library. Whether it was a good or bad album* didn’t matter. The problem was that Apple forced an album on millions of people and initially gave them no way to delete it again. It is widely considered one of the biggest public relations disasters in the music business.
It seems like if what LG is doing to its TVs was a U2 song, it would be Bad. So what’s going on?
Why are LG owners unhappy with this webOS update?
Smart TV makers’ aim to monetize the TVs they’ve already sold you is one of the least welcome trends of recent years.
We’ve been reporting for a while now about TV companies using updates to implement unpopular changes, such as when LG added screensaver ads in 2024, when Roku tested an ad that played before the home screen appeared, or when Google revamped Google TV with much larger ads.
Adding an immovable Copilot seems like another step in the wrong direction. This is more important than adding a little advertising. It’s adding an AI app, which raises concerns about privacy and whether it gets some of your information.
As Reddit user defjam16 said: “I’ve always hated bloatware, but installing an AI assistant (without explicit permission) that can’t be removed, with unknown access to the microphone and other services might just take the cake.”
ASouthernDandy is definitely not a fan – “The pre-installed crap is universally crap. If I wanted it, I would have eventually installed it myself. The only reason it comes bundled is so no one would choose it.” – although their solution, “burn your TV”, is not one I would recommend, both for financial and environmental reasons.
But the many comparisons with bloatware that infest PCs and many phones seem fair to me.
Satan-o-saurus says: “Tech companies taught me to never install or opt for any the new features they are trying to get me to use, Never. It’s literally always a scam/something that will make my user experience worse/something that is designed to simply harvest my data or otherwise exploit me. »
We’ve contacted LG for comment and will keep you updated.
*It’s no big deal, but it’s not Achtung Baby.
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