How to turn off ACR and smart TV tracking: LG, Samsung, Sony, Google TV
Brand by brand: what the tracking feature is called, where to turn it off and how we know. Plus the study that tested whether the switch works.
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To stop your smart TV from tracking what you watch, switch off its automatic content recognition (ACR) feature, withdraw the consent for interest-based ads and reset the advertising ID. Every big brand calls ACR something different and hides it in a different menu. Below are the names and menu paths taken only from official manuals and help pages, plus what the manufacturers admitted in November 2026. Menu labels in your language may differ from the English names in the manuals, and older models may use a different layout.
What ACR is
ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) regularly takes a short fingerprint of the picture or sound and matches it against a database of programmes and ads. It needs no camera and no microphone. LG explains that its system uses audio fingerprints from the TV’s internal audio path, not from the speaker. It works for everything on the screen, including a set-top box, a console or an antenna. Manufacturers use the data for audience measurement and advertising. LG admits that part of the ACR data may go to LG Ad Solutions, its advertising affiliate.
What a smart TV collects
- What you watch: ACR (after consent) and the viewing history in the maker’s own apps and free channels.
- How you click: menu choices, launched apps, button presses. Amazon, Google, LG, Roku and Samsung all confirmed this.
- Where you are: always the IP address. LG with ACR on also uses nearby Wi-Fi data, TCL the network name, Google a Wi-Fi scan. No TV has GPS.
- Who you are: account data such as name, email and date of birth if you create an account.
- What else is in your home: LG and Google TV detect other devices on the network.
Brand by brand: name of the feature and how to turn it off
| Brand / system | ACR name | Where to turn it off | Source (date) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LG (webOS) | Live Plus | Settings, General, System, Additional Settings: Live Plus off, Live Promotion off. Consents: Support, Privacy & Terms, User Agreements. Ads: Privacy & Terms, Advertisement, Limit AD Tracking on, Reset AD ID. Delete data: Privacy & Terms, Delete My Personal Information | LG webOS 24 user guide (checked 11 Nov 2026) |
| Samsung (Tizen) | Viewing Information Services | Home, Menu, Privacy Choices, Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, View details: untick the consents. Voice: Settings, All Settings, Advanced Features, Voice, Bixby Settings, Privacy tab: turn off Allow Audio Recording Review and Allow voiceprint review | Samsung help page, 14 Sep 2026 |
| Sony (Google TV / Android TV) | Samba Interactive TV | Settings, System Preferences, Samba Interactive TV: off | Sony support article 00182856 |
| Google TV (system, many brands) | no ACR of its own; the TV maker may add one | Settings, Privacy, Ads: delete or reset the advertising ID. Settings, Privacy, Location. Voice activity: myactivity.google.com | Google TV help |
| Amazon Fire TV | ACR on Fire TV smart TVs (off by default) | Settings, Preferences, Privacy Settings: Device Usage Data, Collect App Usage Data, Interest-based Ads | Amazon Fire TV privacy FAQ |
| TCL, Hisense, Philips, Xiaomi, Panasonic | no current official name | no official path published. Check Settings, then Privacy or Terms; on Google TV models also the Google paths above | TCL to The Verge; Hisense and Panasonic did not answer |
Does switching off actually work?
The best test I know comes from Northeastern University. In October 2026 the researchers described 5,943 automated runs on 12 TVs from 10 manufacturers, each scenario repeated 30 times with ACR on and off. After the opt-out, ACR traffic stopped on LG, Amazon Fire TV, Sony with Google TV and Hisense VIDAA. On Samsung, traffic “consistent with ACR” continued in 30 of 30 runs on Samsung’s own streaming service; on Vizio the switch changed nothing; on Roku it did not cover the Roku Channel. The traffic was encrypted, so the researchers see addresses and timing, not content. They published a list of ACR addresses that can be blocked on a router or DNS filter.
Three levels of protection
- Minimum (5 minutes): switch off ACR and interest-based ads, reset the advertising ID, delete collected viewing data where the maker offers a button (LG does).
- Medium: switch off voice recognition if you do not use it and block microphone access for apps. Add the ACR addresses to your router’s block list.
- Maximum: disconnect the TV from the internet and use an external streaming box whose settings you control. Both the Northeastern researchers and Gamers Nexus recommend this. Reconnect only for security updates; LG promises them for up to five years from the webOS release.
Your rights
Rules depend on where you live. In the US, Texas sued Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL over ACR in December 2025; Samsung and, in May 2026, LG settled and must ask Texans for informed consent with a clear on-screen notice. Back in 2017 Vizio paid 2.2 million dollars to settle with the FTC and New Jersey over collecting viewing histories from 11 million TVs without consent. In the EU and the UK, the GDPR requires consent that is freely given, specific, informed and as easy to withdraw as to give, and you can ask the manufacturer for a copy of your data and for its deletion. In Europe, a Portuguese consumer group, Citizens’ Voice, sued LG in early November 2026.
Google · Your sourcesQuantslant higher in your Google - one clickAdd to preferred sources →FAQ
How do I stop my TV from tracking me?
Turn off ACR (Live Plus on LG, Viewing Information Services on Samsung, Samba Interactive TV on Sony), withdraw the interest-based ads consent and reset the advertising ID. Only disconnecting the TV from the internet stops all data.
Does turning off ACR break anything?
No. LG says declining the optional agreements does not block streaming apps or live TV. You only lose recommendations based on what you watch.
Does the TV listen to my conversations?
Manufacturers say the microphone reacts only to a button press or a wake word detected locally. Gamers Nexus says it recorded audio through an LG TV in hibernation; LG denies continuous recording. A consumer group in Portugal has taken the question to court.
Background on the survey of TV makers: Your smart TV knows what you watch: TV makers answer 17 tracking questions.
Sources
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news·Your smart TV knows what you watch: TV makers answer 17 tracking questionsTV makers were asked what their sets collect. Nobody lets you cut off all data, and Sony and Hisense did not answer. What it means for your TV.