Following in Samsung's footsteps, LG will soon remove Google Assistant, removing a key feature that has been promoted since 2018.
LG introduced Google Assistant support back in 2018, touting better content discovery and easier TV control.
Starting May 1, 2025, LG will disable Google Assistant not just in new TVs but also in existing models already in consumers' living rooms, according to 9to5Google. Samsung made a similar move in 2024, removing Google Assistant from all of its TVs.
- "Google Assistant Service Termination: 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," reads a notification to users of LG TVs.
Voice control on LG TVs?
You will still be able to control your LG TV using voice commands through LG's built-in system, but LG’s ThinQ voice assistant is a lot more basic.
At CES 2025, LG announced that Microsoft's Copilot AI will be added, but only to its 2025 OLED TVs.
It remains unclear whether the removal of Google Assistant from non-Android Smart TVs is driven by Google or by TV manufacturers. It follows Google's decision to retire the Google Play Movies app from Smart TVs in 2021. On the other hand LG recently partnered with Google to bring Google Cast (Chromecast) support to LG TVs.
Meanwhile, Google is rolling out some Gemini features to Google TVs this year.
