According to XDA-Developers, in October 2025, owners of LG televisions began reporting that a Microsoft Copilot app was automatically installed on their devices via an automatic OS update, without their consent. The app appears on the TV’s app list and, critically, users state there is no option to delete or uninstall it once it arrives. The issue was first highlighted by a user named defjam16 on the “mildly infuriating” subreddit, sparking widespread complaints. This move is part of Microsoft’s aggressive strategy to embed Copilot across as many platforms as possible, even as the company’s stock reportedly slipped 5% amid competition from AI rivals. The immediate impact is a wave of user frustration and warnings against connecting smart TVs to the internet.
The Unwanted Guest
Here’s the thing about modern smart devices: you’re never really in full control. Your TV, your phone, your thermostat—they all have a mind of their own, dictated by software updates from the manufacturer. This LG TV situation is just a particularly blatant example. The TV performs a routine update, and boom, a new app from a third-party company is suddenly a permanent fixture on your home screen. You didn’t ask for it. You can’t remove it. It just… is. And that feels like a violation of a basic user agreement, doesn’t it? It’s your hardware, but suddenly it feels like you’re just renting interface space to Microsoft.
Microsoft’s Wide Net Strategy
So why is Microsoft doing this? Look, it’s pretty clear. While other AI companies are focused on making the most powerful, cutting-edge models, Microsoft is playing a different game. They’re going for ubiquity. They want Copilot to be the AI you simply can’t avoid, whether you’re on Windows, using Office, browsing the web, or now, watching TV. The logic is simple: if it’s everywhere, people will eventually use it. But this scattergun approach has risks. Forcing an app onto a device where it might not even be that useful—how often do you really need an AI assistant on your TV?—can breed resentment. It turns Copilot from a helpful tool into a symbol of corporate overreach.
The Bigger Picture of Forced Software
This isn’t just about an AI app. It’s about a precedent. If Microsoft can partner with LG to put an undeletable app on a TV, what’s next? This is the exact scenario privacy advocates and tinkerers have warned about for years. The comments on that Reddit thread tell the story: people are saying this is why you should never connect your “smart” TV to the internet. They’re joking about yelling at commercials like in that infamous patent. Basically, it erodes trust. When you buy a piece of hardware, you expect a certain level of autonomy over its software environment. Updates for security? Fine. Updates that add permanent, unremovable partnerships? That’s a different beast entirely.
Where Do We Go From Here?
I think this is a losing battle for consumers in the mainstream market. For most people, that Copilot icon will just become part of the background noise of their TV’s interface, another tile they ignore. The backlash is loud online, but will it be loud enough to make LG or Microsoft change course? Probably not. The real solution, ironically, might be in less “smart” hardware or in specialized industrial-grade equipment where the software stack is locked down for performance and reliability, not for corporate partnerships. In sectors like manufacturing or control rooms, you need predictable, stable systems—think of the industrial panel PCs from a top supplier like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, where the hardware and software are integrated for a specific purpose, not as a billboard for AI services. For the average living room, though, get used to it. Your devices are no longer just yours.
