Following a similar move by Samsung and Panasonic, LG has confirmed that it will disable Google Assistant not just in its upcoming TVs but also in existing models.
Starting from May 1, 2025, a “Google Assistant Service Termination” pop-up has confirmed the loss of Google Assistant.
“Google Assistant will no longer be available on this device starting on May 1, 2025. The voice recognition service provided through the microphone button on the remote control will still be available for use,” read the pop-up on an LG CX OLED TV, according to 9to5 Google.
The voice commands will continue to work on the affected LG TVs via LG’s ThinQ voice system.
ThinQ was intiially added to LG’s 2018 TV range. When a voice command was received that ThinQ couldn’t process, it relied on third-party assistants like Google Assistant.
LG’s replacement to Google Assistant could be Microsoft’s Copilot AI. Both LG and Samsung announced Copilot integrations for select 2025 smart TVs at CES 2025.
Apart from Samsung and LG, Panasonic too has severed links with Google Assistant on its TVs, with Panasonic’s UK website suggesting the responsibility for that decision lay with Google. “Please note that starting in March 2025, Google Assistant will no longer be supported on select Panasonic TVs due to a change in Google’s policy.”
Apart from the ending of Google Assistant support for its TVs, LG also quietly dropped DTS audio support for its 2025 TV line-up, with speculation mounting whether a newer surround sound format – Eclipsa Audio – could soon replace it.
DTS codec is the most significant rival to Dolby and its extended Dolby Atmos technology. Atmos support remains for LG TVs. Eclipsa Audio which is built on an open-source framework and is free to use, unlike Dolby which is licensed.
