You mute the room, and the little microphone icon still flashes on screen. Or you catch yourself wondering whether the conversation you had last night near the TV went anywhere it shouldn't have. If that's why you're here, you're not overreacting — LG's smart TVs really do ship with a microphone that can listen for commands, and it's on by default on most models.
The good news: shutting it off is quick once you know where LG actually hides the switch — and it's not always where people expect. This guide walks through every setting that controls listening on an LG TV, in the order that actually stops the microphone, not just the talking.
On your remote, press Settings → All Settings → General → AI Service → Voice Recognition and turn it off. Then, in the same General menu, switch off Always Ready (the "Hi LG" wake word) so the TV stops listening in the background. Finally, go to Settings → Support → Additional Settings → User Agreements and uncheck every optional voice-related agreement. Together, these three steps disable the Magic Remote's microphone and stop LG from collecting new voice data.
What's in this guide
Why Your LG TV Seems to Be Listening
LG TVs running webOS have a feature called Voice Recognition, part of a broader system LG calls ThinQ AI. It lets you press the microphone button on the Magic Remote — or, on many 2022 and newer sets, just say "Hi LG" — to search for shows, change inputs, or adjust the volume without touching a button.
That second option is the one that unsettles people, and fairly so. To recognize the phrase "Hi LG" at all, the TV (or the remote) has to keep a microphone running continuously in the background, listening for the wake word before it ever sends anything to LG's servers. LG calls this always-on listening mode Always Ready. It's separate from the push-to-talk mic button, and it's the setting most people actually mean when they ask how to stop their TV from listening.
Two things worth clearing up before you start flipping switches:
- A talking TV isn't the same as a listening TV. If your LG TV narrates every menu item and button press out loud, that's a completely different feature called Audio Guidance — an accessibility tool, not a microphone issue. Turning it off doesn't touch the mic at all.
- The microphone usually lives in the remote, not the TV chassis. On most LG models, voice pickup happens through the Magic Remote. That matters because it means putting the remote out of reach or pulling its batteries is a genuine, physical way to cut the mic — no menu required.
With that sorted, here's how to actually turn the listening off.
Step 1: Turn Off Voice Recognition
This is the master switch for the microphone button on your Magic Remote. Disabling it stops the mic button from doing anything at all.
- Press Settings (the gear icon) on your LG remote.
- Select All Settings at the bottom of the panel.
- Go to General → AI Service. (On 2020–2021 models, look for General → Voice instead.)
- Open Voice Recognition Settings and toggle Enable Voice Recognition to Off.
Once it's off, pressing the microphone button on the remote does nothing — no icon, no listening indicator, no response. This is the single most effective step if all you want is to stop the mic button from working.
Step 2: Kill the "Hi LG" Wake Word (Always Ready)
Turning off Voice Recognition disables the remote's mic button, but on some firmware versions it doesn't fully stop the hands-free wake-word listening — that's a separate toggle. This is the step most guides skip, and it's the one that matters most for privacy.
- Settings → All Settings → General.
- Find Always Ready (on TVs from 2021 and earlier, it may be labeled Quick Start+).
- Toggle it Off.
With Always Ready disabled, your TV only listens the moment you physically press the mic button — it stops passively listening for a wake word from across the room.
Step 3: Opt Out of Voice Data Collection
Turning off the mic stops new listening going forward. This step deals with the data-sharing agreements LG asks you to accept, which control whether voice interactions get sent off the TV at all.
- Settings → Support → Additional Settings → User Agreements.
- Uncheck every optional agreement related to voice recognition and personalized services — leave only the mandatory Terms of Use checked.
- Restart the TV so the change fully applies.
While you're in the General menu, it's also worth turning off Live Plus (Settings → General → Additional Settings → Live Plus), LG's automatic content-recognition feature. Live Plus isn't audio-related — it scans what's showing on screen to personalize ads and recommendations — but if background data collection is what's bothering you, it's the other half of the picture worth switching off at the same time.
If Amazon Alexa is set up on your TV, note that it's a separate integration. Disable it individually under Settings → All Settings → General → AI Service → Amazon Alexa → Sign Out if you don't use it.
Physical Ways to Be Extra Sure
If you'd rather not rely on a software toggle staying put through the next firmware update, these are the non-negotiable, physical backups:
- Pull the batteries from the Magic Remote when it's not in use. No power, no mic, no exceptions — this works regardless of what any setting says.
- Disconnect the TV from Wi-Fi (Settings → All Settings → Connection → Wi-Fi → Off, or unplug the Ethernet cable). Even if voice recognition were somehow triggered, there's no network path to send anything anywhere.
- Unplug the TV at the wall when you're away for an extended period. It's the digital equivalent of a mic cover, and it also clears any stuck settings that reset on their own.
- Don't sign in to voice assistants you don't use. An Alexa or Copilot account you've never logged into can't do much with a microphone it doesn't have permission to use.
Settings by webOS Version (Quick Reference)
LG reorganized its menus a couple of times over the years, so the exact path shifts depending on when your TV shipped. Check your version under Settings → General → About This TV → webOS TV Version, then match it below.
| webOS Version | Typical Models | Voice Recognition Path |
|---|---|---|
| webOS 23–25 | 2023–2025 (C3–C5, G3–G5, B3–B5) | All Settings → General → AI Service → Voice Recognition |
| webOS 22 | 2022 (C2, G2, B2) | All Settings → General → AI Service → Voice Recognition |
| webOS 6.0 | 2021 (C1, G1) | All Settings → General → AI Service → Voice Recognition |
| webOS 5.0 & earlier | 2020 and older | All Settings → General → Voice → Voice Recognition |
The Mic Icon Still Shows Up — Now What?
If you've flipped every toggle above and the microphone icon keeps appearing, work through these in order:
- Double-check Always Ready is off. It's the most common reason Voice Recognition appears to turn itself back on.
- Power-cycle the TV. Unplug it from the wall (not just standby) for a full 60 seconds, then plug it back in.
- Check settings again after any firmware update. Software updates occasionally reset accessibility and AI Service settings back to their defaults — it's a known quirk, not something you did wrong.
- As a last resort, factory reset the TV and decline every voice-related agreement during the setup wizard. This wipes personalized settings, so treat it as the final option rather than the first one.
Final Thoughts
An LG TV listening for commands isn't a rumor — it's a real, documented feature, and it's on by default so the voice search works out of the box. The fix isn't complicated once you know there are two switches, not one: Voice Recognition for the mic button, and Always Ready for hands-free wake-word listening. Turn both off, clear the optional data agreements, and pull the remote's batteries when you want zero doubt. Two minutes of settings, and the room is yours again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my LG TV always listen, even when the microphone icon isn't showing?
Not by default in push-to-talk mode — the mic only activates when you press the button on the Magic Remote. It's only always-on if the "Hi LG" wake word (Always Ready) is turned on, since recognizing that phrase requires continuous background listening. Turning Always Ready off returns the TV to press-to-talk only.
Is the microphone in the TV itself or in the remote?
On most LG webOS models, the microphone is built into the Magic Remote, not the TV panel. That's why removing the remote's batteries is such an effective physical backup — without power to the remote, there's no mic to trigger.
Does turning off Voice Recognition also disable Alexa?
No. Amazon Alexa is a separate integration with its own toggle under Settings → General → AI Service → Amazon Alexa. If you don't use it, sign out or disable it there as a separate step.
Will disabling voice features affect subtitles or the TV narrating menus out loud?
No. Menu narration is a different feature called Audio Guidance, controlled in the Accessibility menu, and subtitles are separate again. Turning off Voice Recognition and Always Ready has no effect on either.
Can I still use voice commands occasionally and keep the mic off the rest of the time?
Yes — that's exactly what disabling Always Ready while leaving push-to-talk available does. With only the mic button active, the TV listens for the few seconds you're holding it and nothing else.
Does unplugging the TV stop it from listening?
Yes, fully unplugging the TV (and removing the remote's batteries) removes power from every microphone involved, which is the most certain way to guarantee nothing is listening. For everyday use, disabling Voice Recognition and Always Ready in settings is enough; unplugging is mainly useful when you're away for an extended period.
What is Live Plus, and should I turn it off too?
Live Plus is LG's content-recognition feature — it analyzes what's displayed on screen to personalize ads and recommendations. It isn't audio or microphone-related, but if reducing overall data collection is your goal, turning it off under Settings → General → Additional Settings is worth doing alongside the voice settings above.
Why did the setting turn back on after a software update?
Some LG firmware updates reset Accessibility and AI Service settings to their factory defaults. It's a known quirk rather than something you did wrong — just recheck Voice Recognition and Always Ready any time your TV updates itself.