LG TV
What the default settings do
LG’s webOS Smart TVs, like other smart TVs, watch what’s playing on screen to build a viewing profile unless you turn that off. LG calls this feature “Live Plus,” and it uses the same kind of automatic content recognition found across the industry: whatever is displayed, whether from a streaming app, a set-top box, or an antenna, is analyzed and matched against a reference database. LG also participates in interest-based and cross-device advertising, and offers a voice assistant (LG’s ThinQ AI) with on-device wake-word detection but cloud-based interpretation of more complex commands.
Unusually among TV makers, LG asks you to accept or decline a list of separate agreements individually during setup rather than a single all-or-nothing consent screen: a Terms of Use, a Privacy Policy, an ACR and Viewing Information Agreement, a Voice Information Agreement, an Interest-Based and Cross-Device Advertising Agreement, and a Marketing Communications Agreement. Each can be reviewed and changed later without a factory reset. This is genuinely more granular than most competing smart TV platforms, which tend to bundle viewing, voice, and advertising consent into a single privacy toggle; the trade-off is that there are more individual screens to check if you want to be thorough. Exact submenu wording and location have moved between webOS generations, most recently consolidating under a “Privacy & Terms” heading on 2022 and newer sets; this guide notes where paths differ from older TVs.
A reasonable privacy baseline
These settings are found in the TV’s Settings app. On most 2022 and newer webOS TVs they live under a consolidated Privacy & Terms screen; older sets use a different path, noted below.
Live Plus (ACR)
Settings → All Settings → Support → Privacy & Terms → Viewing Information → Off
This turns off Live Plus, LG's content-recognition feature that tracks what's shown on screen to build a viewing profile. On TVs from before roughly 2022, the same toggle instead appears as "Live Plus" under General → System → Additional Settings. LG also prompts for this during first-time setup as part of the ACR and Viewing Information Agreement; declining there has the same effect as turning it off later.
Advertising
Settings → All Settings → Support → Privacy & Terms → Interest-Based Advertising → Off
Controls whether ads shown on the TV's home screen and in LG's own apps are based on your viewing and app activity. On older sets, look for an Advertisement setting under General → System → Additional Settings instead.
Same screen → Reset Advertising ID → Reset periodically if you keep personalized ads on
Resetting the advertising identifier severs the link to any profile already built from your past activity; a new identifier starts fresh. Worth doing occasionally if you'd rather not disable interest-based ads outright but want to limit how much of a profile accumulates over time.
Voice recognition
Settings → All Settings → General → AI Service → Voice Recognition → Off
Disables LG's ThinQ AI voice assistant, including wake-word listening. Command interpretation beyond simple wake-word detection is processed on LG's servers, so turning this off stops that data from being generated in the first place. LG does not clearly document an on-TV mechanism for reviewing or deleting voice recordings already collected; if you've used voice features and want existing recordings removed, check your LG Account privacy settings or the LG ThinQ mobile app, since the option may not be exposed directly on the TV itself.
User agreements
Settings → All Settings → Support → Privacy & Terms → User Agreements → Review individually
Unlike many smart TVs that bundle all data-sharing consent into one accept-or-decline choice, LG separates its agreements by purpose: viewing information, voice, advertising, and marketing communications each get their own toggle. Reviewing this list periodically lets you decline categories you didn't intend to accept during initial setup, without needing to factory reset the TV.
Trade-offs
- Turning off Live Plus/Viewing Information means LG’s content-based recommendations and any Live Plus-powered interactive features will not function.
- Disabling interest-based advertising does not reduce how many ads you see, only how targeted they are.
- Turning off Voice Recognition removes hands-free wake-word control; all TV functions remain available through the physical remote.
- Because LG does not clearly document a self-serve way to delete already-collected voice recordings from the TV itself, removing that history may require going through LG’s account support channels.
- Declining the Marketing Communications Agreement only stops promotional messages from LG; the other categories need to be declined separately if you want to opt out of those too.
- Reviewing each agreement individually takes more time than a single privacy toggle would, but it also means you can keep the features you value, such as voice control, while declining others, such as advertising, rather than an all-or-nothing choice.
Who should not change these settings
- If you like LG’s homescreen show and movie suggestions, Live Plus is part of what powers them.
- If you use “Hi LG” or similar wake-word voice control regularly, especially for accessibility, keep Voice Recognition on.
- If personalized ads feel more relevant to you than generic ones, there’s no need to disable interest-based advertising; resetting the advertising ID periodically is a lighter-touch middle ground.
- If you appreciate being notified about LG firmware updates, new features, or promotions, keep the Marketing Communications Agreement accepted.
- If you’re setting up a TV for a household member who won’t revisit these menus later, it’s worth going through each agreement once at setup rather than accepting all of them by default to save time, since LG’s per-category structure means that initial choice is the one most likely to stick.