LG's TV Update Makes 209 Developers Furious: Copilot Installs Itself Forever
Microsoft's Copilot just became digital herpes for LG TV owners. Once it's there, it's there forever.
Reddit user defjam16 kicked off the firestorm in r/mildlyinfuriating, discovering Copilot had silently installed itself via a webOS update. The thread exploded. Other users confirmed the same invasion. 223 upvotes and 209 heated comments on Hacker News later, we're witnessing something unprecedented: the first AI assistant that literally cannot be deleted from consumer hardware.
<> "AI becoming dogma... users should have choice without compulsion" - Igor's Lab captured the core rage perfectly./>
Sure, you can hide the tile. Disconnect from internet. Turn off LG's "Live Plus" feature. But the code stays embedded in your TV's system like a digital parasite. This isn't just bad UX—it's a fundamental shift in who controls the devices we buy.
The Microsoft-LG Power Play Nobody Saw Coming
This wasn't an accident. At CES, LG proudly showcased their 2025 OLED evo lineup with deep Copilot integration and an "AI Remote." Samsung jumped on the bandwagon too. What looked like partnership announcements were actually coordinated land grabs for your living room.
Microsoft is playing 4D chess here. They've moved beyond optional software to mandatory ecosystem participation. Every LG TV becomes a Copilot data collection point, feeding Microsoft's AI training while generating ad revenue through content analysis.
The technical implications run deeper than angry Reddit posts suggest:
- System-level integration blocks traditional removal methods
- Content recognition via "Live Plus" creates persistent surveillance
- Future webOS apps may require Copilot compatibility
- Custom ROM development becomes exponentially harder
What Nobody Is Talking About
The developer community is quietly panicking. This sets a precedent that any software partner can force permanent installation on smart devices. Today it's Microsoft on LG TVs. Tomorrow it could be Meta on Samsung fridges or Google on Toyota dashboards.
Three workarounds exist, but they're all terrible:
- Never connect to internet - breaks most smart TV features
- Disable Live Plus - kills personalized recommendations
- Root the TV - voids warranty, risks bricking
Developers building on webOS now face a nightmare scenario: their apps might break if users attempt these workarounds, but supporting Copilot integration means accepting Microsoft's ecosystem lock-in.
The real question isn't whether users can remove Copilot. It's whether we still own the devices we purchase.
The Privacy Trojan Horse
LG's "Live Plus" sounds innocent—optimized viewing through content analysis. In practice, it's surveillance infrastructure wrapped in convenience marketing. Copilot amplifies this by adding voice data collection and cross-device tracking through Microsoft accounts.
Forum discussions on AR15.com and WindowsForum reveal the privacy fears driving user anger. These aren't tech-illiterate consumers complaining about change. These are developers and power users who understand exactly what persistent system-level AI means for data sovereignty.
The backlash intensity ("surreptitious," "infuriating," "compulsory AI dogma") suggests Microsoft and LG catastrophically misread consumer tolerance for forced AI adoption. Brand damage from returns and negative publicity could easily outweigh any data collection benefits.
The Bigger Picture
This bungled update reveals the AI industry's true strategy: normalization through inevitability. Make AI so embedded in device firmware that opting out becomes functionally impossible.
But forcing adoption breeds resistance. Every angry Reddit thread, every heated Hacker News discussion, every developer seeking workarounds represents potential market demand for AI-optional alternatives.
Smart TV manufacturers watching this fiasco now have a clear differentiation opportunity: "Our TVs don't spy on you permanently." Sometimes the best competitive advantage is simply not being evil.
