LG is pushing Copilot onto its televisions. The app cannot be removed!

LG and Microsoft have entered into a quiet agreement, the effects of which are now being felt by owners of LG televisions - including the expensive OLED models. As part of the webOS system update, the Copilot AI application is being introduced to televisions and, most importantly, it cannot be uninstalled.

Update After the Scandal

After a wave of criticism, LG informed the editorial team at The Verge that it "respects consumer choice" and "will take steps to allow for the removal of the shortcut to the app." Sounds nice, but without any deadline. For now, users are left with the problem. LG announced the integration of Copilot with televisions back in January, at CES 2025. Samsung made similar declarations. The thing is, in practice, there is no talk of any deep integration with the system.

Copilot on LG televisions is simply a shortcut app that opens the Copilot website. Nothing more. No AI magic. No real functionality.

Bloatware You Don't Want

The app lands on LG TVs from the years 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, and likely also older models. You won't find it in the app store, as it is installed remotely via a system update. According to Reddit and Engadget users:

• the app cannot be removed,

• it's treated like a system component,

• it may collect user data,

• it may have access to the microphone.

In short - classic corporate bloatware that no one asked for, and 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-centered system. LG is going exactly the same way as:

• Amazon with Fire TV,

• Google with Google TV,

• Samsung with Tizen,

• Roku with Roku OS.

They are all doing the same thing - more ads, more sponsored content, more data collection.

The best solution? Disconnect the internet. If anyone still needs an argument to disconnect the Smart TV from the internet, they just got it. The television should display images, not serve as a platform for AI experiments and user monetization.

A much more reasonable solution is an external device:

• Apple TV 4K,

• or another streaming box.

Such devices can still be operated with the TV remote, but the user decides what to install, not the manufacturer quietly.