LG TV users baffled by unremovable Microsoft Copilot installation — surprise forced update shows app pinned to the home screen

Microsoft Copilot bar on a nature scene.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

LG smart TV owners are reporting that a recent webOS software update has added Microsoft Copilot to their TVs, with no apparent way to remove it. Reports first surfaced over the weekend on Reddit, where a post showing a Copilot tile pinned to an LG TV home screen climbed to more than 35,000 upvotes on r/mildlyinfuriating, accompanied by hundreds of comments from users describing the same behavior.

According to affected users, Copilot appears automatically after installing the latest webOS update on certain LG TV models. The feature shows up on the home screen alongside streaming apps, but unlike Netflix or YouTube, it cannot be uninstalled.

My LG TV’s new software update installed Microsoft Copilot, which cannot be deleted. from r/mildlyinfuriating

LG has previously confirmed plans to integrate Microsoft Copilot into webOS as part of its broader “AI TV” strategy. At CES 2025, the company described Copilot as an extension of its AI Search experience, designed to answer questions and provide recommendations using Microsoft’s AI services. In practice, the iteration of Copilot currently seen on LG TVs appears to function as a shortcut to a web-based Copilot interface rather than a fully native application like the one described by LG.

The issue, for many, isn’t necessarily what Copilot does, but that it has been forced onto consumers with no option to remove it. LG’s own support documentation notes that certain preinstalled or system apps cannot be deleted, only hidden. Users who encounter Copilot after the update report that this limitation applies, leaving them with no way to fully remove the feature once it has been added. It's a similar story on rival models, for instance some Samsung TV's include Gemini.

The overwhelmingly negative reaction from users indicates a growing frustration with AI features being imposed on consumers in every way possible. Smart TVs have naturally become platforms for advertising, data collection, and now AI services, with updates adding new functionality that owners did not explicitly request and, in most cases, do not want. While LG allows users to disable some AI-related options, such as voice recognition and personalization features, those settings do not remove the Copilot app itself.

Ultimately, those wanting to minimize Copilot’s presence on their TVs are limited to keeping it disconnected from the Internet. That’s about the most that can be done at the moment, unless LG backtracks and either allows users to disable or completely uninstall the app in response to backlash, which seems unlikely.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

TOPICS

Luke James is a freelance writer and journalist. Although his background is in legal, he has a personal interest in all things tech, especially hardware and microelectronics, and anything regulatory.

36 Comments Comment from the forums

Jabberwocky79

Copilot doesn't just have an AI image problem, it also has a perception of usefulness problem. I'm knee-deep in AI news and usage every day, and yet I always think of Copilot as a lame-duck Office 365 add-on. I don't place it in the same realm as say, Chat GPT or Gemini. Probably others share the same opinion. So, when I first saw the headline, I was genuinely baffled, thinking.... "Is this in case you need to build a PowerPoint on your TV?"
Reply
ezst036

I avoid smart TVs like the plague.

Generally, its because I don't know what is on them or in them, other than they are spying devices. The microphones that are in these TVs are nefarious and if they have a camera its even worse. I don't think seeing Copilot would influence me much either way. I already know what that TV is and is about. The "who" is not so important.
Reply
Rabohinf

I avoid smart TVs like the plague.
I do, too. Hopefully, Microsoft doesn't have leverage to force unremovable installation on the nVidia ShieldTV device.
Reply
heffeque

ezst036 said:
I avoid smart TVs like the plague.

Generally, its because I don't know what is on them or in them, other than they are spying devices. The microphones that are in these TVs are nefarious and if they have a camera its even worse. I don't think seeing Copilot would influence me much either way. I already know what that TV is and is about. The "who" is not so important.
I will end up having to buy a TV in a not so distant future... and I'm struggling to find high quality TVs that don't have smart features.

My current TV is not plugged into the TV antenna, nor is it connected to the internet. It's only connected to a SNES (yup, still working), and a computer (a Framework Desktop) that is working as a home-theater/office/gaming machine. The TV is merely acting as a large monitor, though it's getting a bit old and will need replacing.

I would buy a 65" monitor if I could, but they don't seem to exist. I'll have to buy a TV instead. To avoid surprises, I'll also never connect it to the internet, though I hope that it never needs a bug-fixing firmware update that comes with unwelcome surprises like this LG surprise.

Unless they change their stance on AI, sadly LG will be on my no-go list for TVs from now on (next to Samsung, that's no better).
Reply
kealii123

heffeque said:
I will end up having to buy a TV in a not so distant future... and I'm struggling to find high quality TVs that don't have smart features.

My current TV is not plugged into the TV antenna, nor is it connected to the internet. It's only connected to a SNES (yup, still working), and a computer (a Framework Desktop) that is working as a home-theater/office/gaming machine. The TV is merely acting as a large monitor, though it's getting a bit old and will need replacing.

I would buy a 65" monitor if I could, but they don't seem to exist. I'll have to buy a TV instead. To avoid surprises, I'll also never connect it to the internet, though I hope that it never needs a bug-fixing firmware update that comes with unwelcome surprises like this LG surprise.

Unless they change their stance on AI, sadly LG will be on my no-go list for TVs from now on (next to Samsung, that's no better).
My Hisense seems to be the easiest TV to disable all SmartTV nonsense. It has a bypass on the boot up so it goes straight to the HDMI input.

I never connected to the TV to my wi-fi, so I assume it's not able to upload any data that it does still capture.

Of course, I assumed the same for my Jeep but it's still updates the garbage UI touch screen, so stalantis must be paying mobile carriers to push the data
Reply
ezst036

kealii123 said:
My Hisense seems to be the easiest TV to disable all SmartTV nonsense.
The catch is that it isn't actually disabled.

It's just "the stuff you see" is no longer seen. These spy devices still spy. They have to, otherwise the device cannot pay for itself. They aren 't giving TVs away for virtually free.

The reality is that a 65 inch TV still costs the 8 grand it used to cost 10 years ago. It's just that now 7 grand of it is being paid on your behalf through the spyware over time instead of you forking it out on your credit card at purchase time.

Follow the money, there's no doubt. These TVs are not "free", and the 2 grand or whatever seemingly cheap price, yeah, that's not real either. That's fake news.
Reply
dwd999

Every TV is capable of bypassing the home screen and going directly to an hdmi input from a cable box, computer, or other external device connected to that hdmi input. Its just that they bury the option to do that as the next to last item on the last setup menu and unskilled users can't find it there. So media writers need to publicize this more and explain to users how to access and set this option. Let's see more articles on how to set up your TV to skip the home screen, turn off intrusive features, monitoring, and tracking, and just return to the last used (and in many cases only used) input.
Reply
bill001g

Best option is likely to get massive numbers of people to file warranty claims. This is one of those get enough social media attention and get enough people to file claims the company will give in even if it feels it is correct. People can also file claims with every government consumer protection entity they can find. Again it doesn't really matter if the company wins in the end it cost them lots of money to fight this stuff so it would save them money and actually give them better consumer image if they allow garbage like this to be deleted.

The simpler solution which I have always used with my "smart" tv is to black list all sites and only allow access to the location I want. It makes it very hard for it to run advertising and prevent any software updates. So far at worst it complains about network errors but still function for the one streaming service I have on that tv.
Reply
bigdragon

Copilot, open Netflix. *searches for Netflix instead*
Copilot, tune antenna to channel 13. *searches for CBS Baltimore instead*
Copilot, turn off TV. *displays message about how other users may be watching this TV*
Copilot, change input to Playstation. *GamePass ad appears and the nearest computers make Windows ding sounds*
*pushes power button to catch the end of a football game and sees "We're getting things ready for you. Please do not turn off your TV" appear with a spinning ball for 30 minutes thus preventing watching the end of the game*
Copilot... *message appears on screen asking you to rate the Copilot app with a "remind me later" button*

LG clearly views the TV as theirs and not yours. This would infuriate me. I do not want Copilot or any other AI junk. I'm tired of its mistakes being waved away as simple bugs or hallucinations instead of the product-breaking failures they are. I also do not want Microsoft infiltrating more household devices. Windows is bad enough these days.

I don't think I could buy a modern TV. Smart TVs are crazy slow, and the end user does not have enough control over the smart features.
Reply
Giroro

heffeque said:
I will end up having to buy a TV in a not so distant future... and I'm struggling to find high quality TVs that don't have smart features.

My current TV is not plugged into the TV antenna, nor is it connected to the internet. It's only connected to a SNES (yup, still working), and a computer (a Framework Desktop) that is working as a home-theater/office/gaming machine. The TV is merely acting as a large monitor, though it's getting a bit old and will need replacing.

I would buy a 65" monitor if I could, but they don't seem to exist. I'll have to buy a TV instead. To avoid surprises, I'll also never connect it to the internet, though I hope that it never needs a bug-fixing firmware update that comes with unwelcome surprises like this LG surprise.

Unless they change their stance on AI, sadly LG will be on my no-go list for TVs from now on (next to Samsung, that's no better).

Certain TVs have a mode that lets you disable all smart TV features - but good luck finding the tech-exclusive service manual that tells you which ones have it and how to do it.
Reply

Show more comments