Many modern LG TVs allow you to speak to Alexa or Google Assistant with the voice remote—you might even have a shortcut for these features right on your remote. However, some LG TVs are about to lose their Google influence.
LG TVs Are Dropping Google Assistant
This week, many owners of LG smart TVs (including on Reddit) started seeing warnings that Google Assistant will no longer work as of May 1. You thus won’t be able to speak to the assistant to interact with your TV via search or other features. The notice makes it clear that general voice functionality is not going away; only Google Assistant support:
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.
The stock LG assistant accessible with the mic button on your remote will still let you search your TV, tweak settings, and the like with just your voice. But if you relied on Google Assistant integration to get more done, your TV is about to get less useful. It’s a good reminder that smart TV features are subject to change anytime at the whims of the manufacturer—your favorite feature could be next, even if you don’t care about Google Assistant.
At this time, it looks like Alexa support for LG TVs isn’t being touched. At the start of 2025, LG announced that its 2025 OLED TV models will feature Microsoft Copilot, though we’re not sure if this will come to older models to replace Google Assistant.
Gemini Is the Hot New Assistant
While this move is sudden, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. As Google has continued to develop and push Gemini, Google Assistant has started to feel like old hat, which has led the company to start phasing it out. Google Assistant is already losing features ahead of its demise in late 2025.
Thankfully, this is not severing the connection between Google Home and LG’s ThinQ platform. You’ll still be able to use the Google Home app to control your LG TV (and other LG appliances); the only feature being dropped for now is the ability to talk to Google Assistant on your TV.
In the coming months, we might see LG replace Google Assistant with Gemini, following Google’s lead. However, this may only come to the newest TVs to push people to upgrade.
For now, the built-in voice assistant is capable of basic tasks, though not as exciting as Google Assistant. Perhaps LG and other TV makers should focus on bringing features to smart TVs that would actually make them better.
