Is my LG TV recording my conversations?

LG says no, and that it only listens when you press the voice button on the remote or use a wake word. Independent researchers raised concerns, and this audio claim is disputed. What is not in doubt is that the TV tracks what you watch for advertising — and you can turn that off in settings.

What is ACR, or Live Plus?

ACR stands for Automatic Content Recognition. It is a feature that recognises what is on your screen — across all your apps and inputs, including a games console or cable box — to build a viewing profile for targeted ads. On LG it is branded “Live Plus,” and you can switch it off.

Will turning these settings off break my TV?

No. Streaming apps, picture quality and normal features keep working. You are only turning off data collection and ad targeting, not the parts of the TV you actually use.

Do other TV brands do this too?

Yes. ACR and ad tracking are common across Samsung, Roku, Vizio and others. The settings have different names but the idea is the same, and the steps to turn them off are similar.

Do the in-TV settings actually stop everything?

Not entirely. Testers found some tracking traffic kept flowing even with the privacy options switched off. The in-TV settings turn off the main, visible tracking like Live Plus, but to block the rest you need to stop the traffic at your router — for example with a network-wide ad blocker and a community blocklist for LG TVs.

Should I disconnect my TV from the internet?

You do not have to. Turning off the tracking settings handles most of it, and putting the TV on a separate guest network is a good extra step. Disconnecting entirely works too, but then you lose the streaming apps — which is why most people prefer the settings-and-network approach.

Is your smart TV listening? The LG report, explained

Is your smart TV listening?

You may have seen headlines saying LG smart TVs were “caught recording your conversations.” It sounds alarming. The full picture is more mixed — some of it is well documented, and some is disputed by LG. Here is what actually happened, in plain terms, and the free settings that switch most of this tracking off.

Key takeaways

In September 2026, a detailed investigation by the technology channels Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs reported that LG smart TVs collect a lot of data — including what is on screen and a list of other devices on your home Wi-Fi — and send it to LG’s advertising arm.

The most serious claim — that the TV records room audio while it looks switched off — is disputed. LG says it does not do this, and that voice is only processed when you press the remote’s voice button or use a wake word.

The main everyday privacy issue is not spying — it is a feature called ACR (“Live Plus” on LG) that recognises what you watch, across apps and plugged-in devices, to target ads.

You can turn this off for free in the TV’s settings. There is no need to buy anything or throw the TV away.

For stronger control, put the TV on a separate guest network and, if you are comfortable with it, block the maker’s tracking servers at your router — testers found the in-TV settings alone did not stop everything.

What the investigation found

In early September 2026, two well-known technology channels, Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs, published a long investigation into LG smart TVs. Working with independent researchers, they captured the network traffic leaving retail LG sets and analysed the TV’s software.

They reported that the TVs identify other devices on your home Wi-Fi — phones, laptops, printers, smart-home gadgets — and take frequent snapshots of what is on screen to work out what you are watching. That information, they said, is fed to LG’s advertising business, LG Ad Solutions.

The audio claim, and LG’s answer

The headline that spread fastest was that the TVs record microphone audio while in standby — that is, while they look switched off — and upload it later. This is the most serious claim, and it is also the one in dispute.

LG says it is not true. According to the company, the TV only processes voice when you press and hold the voice button on the remote, or when you have deliberately turned on hands-free voice and say a wake word like “Hi LG.” LG says the wake-word check happens on the TV itself, and if there is no wake word, the audio is deleted and never sent anywhere.

We cannot independently settle this dispute here, so we are not going to tell you your TV is definitely listening. What is clearer, and not really disputed, is the ad-tracking part below — and that is the part you can do something about today.

What ACR is — the part that matters most

Most modern smart TVs, not just LG’s, include a feature called Automatic Content Recognition, or ACR. On LG it is branded “Live Plus.” It works by regularly sampling what is on your screen — whatever the source, including a games console or cable box — and matching it to a database to figure out exactly what you are watching. That viewing history is then used to target ads, and can be shared with other companies.

This is not a hidden hack. It is a documented feature, usually switched on when you first set the TV up and click through the agreements. The good news is that it is just as easy to switch off.

How to turn the tracking off (free)

Menu names vary by model and year, but on most recent LG TVs the steps are quick.

Turn off Live Plus: Settings → General (or System) → Live Plus → off. This stops the on-screen content tracking (ACR).

Limit ad tracking: Settings → General → Advertisement, and turn on “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” or “Limit Ad Tracking.”

Review the agreements: open Settings → User Agreements and untick Viewing Information, Interest-Based Advertising and Voice Information wherever those options appear.

Turn off voice features you do not use, so the microphone is not active, and keep the TV updated so security fixes are installed.

Samsung, Roku and others have very similar settings under different names — the same idea applies.

For a bit more control: separate the TV from your network

If you want to go further, put the TV on a separate guest or “IoT” network in your router. The TV still streams fine, but it can no longer see the other devices in your home — your phones, laptops and smart-home gadgets. Most modern routers let you switch on a guest network in a few taps.

Blocking LG’s tracking servers at the router (advanced)

Here is a detail worth knowing: people who tested LG TVs with network tools found that turning off the in-TV privacy settings did not stop all the data the TV sends home. Some tracking traffic kept flowing anyway. The only way they could reliably stop it was to block the TV’s tracking addresses on the network, so the requests never leave the house. This is closely related to what your internet provider can see — it is about controlling which servers your devices are allowed to reach.

This is a more technical step, but it is a well-trodden path. It works using a network-wide ad blocker — the most popular is a free tool called Pi-hole, which runs on a cheap mini-computer or in a small container and filters requests for your whole home. Some routers and services, such as AdGuard Home or NextDNS, can do the same job.

Instead of guessing addresses yourself, you point it at a community blocklist that volunteers keep updated for LG TVs. These list the maker’s known ad and tracking domains and quietly block them, while the TV’s normal apps — Netflix, YouTube, live TV — keep working. If you are comfortable setting this up, it is the most thorough option; if it sounds like more than you want to take on, the free in-TV settings above still turn off the main, visible tracking.

This is general education, not security advice. TV features, menu names and settings change over time and differ by model and region — check current, reputable sources and the settings on your own device.