LG says it will let users remove the Microsoft Copilot shortcut installed on new TVs many reports Thrown light on Non-removable mark. in a statement to The VergeLG spokesperson Chris De Maria says the company “respects consumer choice and will take steps to allow users to remove shortcut icons if they wish.”
Last week, a user r/mildly annoying subreddit LG posted an image of the Microsoft CoPilot icon in its lineup of apps on a TV, with no option to remove it. “The new software update on my LG TV installed Microsoft CoPilot, which cannot be removed,” the post says. The post received over 36,000 upvotes as people become more and more frustrated with AI appearing everywhere.
De Maria says the icon is a “shortcut” to the Microsoft CoPilot web app that opens in the TV’s web browser, not “an application-based service embedded in the TV.” He also says that “Features such as microphone input are activated only with the explicit consent of the customer.”
When asked when LG will start giving users the ability to remove the CoPilot icon, De Maria said there is no “definite time” yet.
Here is LG’s full statement:
Following the recent coverage regarding the arrival of Microsoft CoPilot on LG TVs, we are reaching out to provide an important clarification. Based on the recent coverage regarding the arrival of Microsoft CoPilot on LG TVs, we would like to clarify that Microsoft CoPilot has been provided as a shortcut icon to increase accessibility and convenience for customers. This is not an application-based service embedded in the TV. When users select the CoPilot shortcut, Microsoft’s website opens through the TV’s web browser, and features such as microphone input are activated only with the customer’s explicit consent.
Update, December 18: More information added by LG.
