Katarzyna Petru
LG and Microsoft have reached a silent agreement, the effects of which are being felt today by owners of LG televisions - including expensive OLED models. As part of the webOS system update, the Copilot AI application is being installed on televisions and, most importantly, it cannot be uninstalled.
Update after the scandal
After a wave of criticism, LG informed the editorial team of The Verge that it "respects consumers' choices" and "will take steps to enable the removal of the shortcut to the application." It sounds nice, but without any timeframe. For now, users are left with the problem. LG announced integration of Copilot with televisions back in January at CES 2025. Similar statements were made by Samsung. The difference is that in practice, there is no talk of any deep integration with the system.
Copilot on LG televisions is simply a shortcut application that opens the Copilot website. Nothing more. No AI magic. No real functionality.
Bloatware you don't want
The app is appearing on LG televisions from the years 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, and probably even older ones. You won't find it in the app store, as it is installed remotely via a system update. According to users on Reddit and Engadget:
the app cannot be removed,
it is treated as a system component,
it may collect user data,
it may have access to the microphone.
In short - classic corporate bloatware that nobody asked for, but everyone has to tolerate.
webOS is turning into an advertising board
This is another step towards transforming webOS into an advertising and data platform, rather than a user-focused system. LG is following exactly the same path as:
Amazon with Fire TV,
Google with Google TV,
Samsung with Tizen,
Roku with Roku OS.
Everyone is doing the same - more ads, more sponsored content, more data collection.
The best solution? Disconnect the internet. If anyone still needs a reason to disconnect Smart TV from the internet, they just got it. The television should display images, not serve as a platform for experimenting with AI and monetising the user.
A much more sensible solution is an external device:
Apple TV 4K,
or possibly another streaming stick.
Such devices can still be operated with the TV remote, but the user decides what to install, not the manufacturer quietly.
