LG Electronics announced it will allow users to remove the Microsoft Copilot AI assistant shortcut from their televisions after complaints surfaced on social media. The issue arose when a recent webOS update added the icon to TV home screens without a deletion option.
The controversy gained traction through a Reddit post on the r/mildlyinfuriating forum, which amassed over 36,000 upvotes. TV owners voiced irritation over the shortcut’s appearance following the update, highlighting the absence of any straightforward way to eliminate it from their devices.
My LG TV’s new software update installed Microsoft Copilot, which cannot be deleted.
byu/defjam16 inmildlyinfuriating
LG representative Chris De Maria addressed the matter in a statement to The Verge. He said the company “honors consumer preferences and will implement measures to allow users to eliminate the shortcut icon if they desire.” This response came directly in reaction to the volume of user feedback across platforms.
De Maria provided specifics on the shortcut’s nature. He explained that it serves as a link to the Microsoft Copilot web application, which opens within the TV’s built-in web browser. This distinguishes it from applications embedded directly into the TV’s operating system. He further noted that “features such as microphone input are enabled only with the user’s explicit permission,” ensuring such functionalities activate solely upon user approval.
LG’s support documentation outlines restrictions on app management for its Smart TVs. It specifies that certain preinstalled or system apps cannot be deleted entirely. In the case of the Copilot shortcut post-update, users found they could only hide the icon from the home screen, not remove it completely from the system.
Both LG and Samsung revealed plans to incorporate Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant into their televisions during the January 2025 Consumer Electronics Show. They presented this integration within their respective AI-driven personalization strategies aimed at enhancing user experiences through intelligent features.
For affected users, the primary grievance focused on the absence of choice regarding the shortcut’s installation, separate from evaluations of Copilot’s actual performance or utility.
This situation parallels criticism directed at Samsung for mandating Google’s Gemini assistant on certain television models, where users similarly encountered unwanted AI elements without opt-out provisions.
On Reddit, some participants recommended practical workarounds. These included disconnecting TVs from the internet to prevent access or employing network-level blocking tools such as Pi-hole to limit the shortcut’s visibility and functionality.
LG has not released an official timeline for rolling out the deletion option, meaning users with the shortcut on their devices must anticipate a forthcoming software update to access this capability.
