Your LG TV may get an unremovable Microsoft Copilot app in its next update, and yes, users are annoyed

AI for everyone, whether you want it or not

15 Dec 2025, 13:03 · TechRadar

News By Carrie Marshall published 15 December 2025

(Image credit: Future)

webOS update adds Microsoft Copilot automatically
The app can't be deleted
People are concerned about privacy

If there's one thing that would stop me from buying one of the best TVs in the current world of everything being online and connected, it's the fear of the manufacturer taking a perfectly good 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 happening 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 things worse, once the app is on your TV, you can't remove it.

This is proving roughly as popular as the time when Apple forced a U2 album into everybody's iTunes library. Whether it was a good album or a bad album* didn't matter. The issue was that Apple forced an album on millions of people and initially didn't give them any way to remove it again. It's widely regarded as one of the biggest PR disasters in music.

It seems that if what LG is doing to its TVs were a U2 song, it'd be Bad. So what's going on?

Why aren't LG owners happy about this webOS update?

Smart TV manufacturers' goal of monetizing TVs they've already sold you is one of the less welcome trends of the last few years.

We've been reporting on TV firms using updates to implement unpopular changes for some time now, 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 advertisements.

The addition of unremovable Copilot seems like a further step in a bad direction. This is more significant than adding a bit of advertising. This is adding an AI app, and that raises concerns about privacy and whether it's getting any of your information.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors