The TV Viewing Tracker Has a Different Name at Each Brand

Update, 27 October 2026. We re-read the makers’ pages. The LG, Vizio, Roku, Samsung, Google TV and Apple paths have not changed. New since 4 October: Hisense and Sony now have rows, from Hisense’s Enhanced Viewing Service notice and Sony’s Samba TV pages; Roku now says its switch affects only the TV you change it on; Apple’s Clear Play History works per profile; and LG’s statement adds that nearby Wi‑Fi data can help place the TV for ACR. Amazon’s Fire TV privacy FAQ was not re-read; its Privacy Settings menu is confirmed by Amazon’s developer docs.

To disable ACR on an LG TV, withdraw the Viewing Information agreement in Support › Privacy & Terms › User Agreements; to turn off ACR on a Vizio TV, set Viewing Data to Off in All Settings › Privacy and Legal. Samsung calls it Viewing Information Services, Roku TV calls it Smart TV Experience, Hisense calls it the Enhanced Viewing Service and Sony calls it Samba Interactive TV, and the table below covers 9 TV platforms with each maker’s source.

Do it even if everything you watch comes through a streaming stick or a cable box. LG says its ACR can work on HDMI-connected devices, and Roku says its version covers connected devices, including cable and satellite boxes. Hisense and Sony describe the same reach. Using a separate box instead of the TV’s own apps does not keep your viewing away from these TV makers while the setting is on.

The Verge’s TV reviewer wrote on 19 September, after a Gamers Nexus video about LG sets, that TV makers are tracking what you watch unless you opt out. What the makers themselves say is narrower and differs by brand.

The setting, by brand

Maker	What the setting is called	Menu path	Source
LG	Viewing Information agreement; Live Plus	Support › Privacy & Terms › User Agreements; General › System › Additional Settings	LG webOS 2025 user guide; LG newsroom
Vizio	Viewing Data	MENU › All Settings › Privacy and Legal › Viewing Data	Vizio Support
Samsung	Viewing Information Services	Settings (Samsung gives no exact path)	Samsung US Support
Roku TV	Smart TV Experience (Use info from TV inputs)	Settings › Privacy › Smart TV Experience	Roku
Hisense	Enhanced Viewing Service	Settings (Hisense gives no exact path)	Hisense USA privacy notice
Sony (Android TV)	Samba Interactive TV	Settings › System Preferences › Samba Interactive TV	Sony USA Support
Fire TV	Privacy Settings	Settings › Preferences › Privacy Settings	Amazon developer docs; Amazon FAQ (read 19 September)
Google TV	Advertising ID (no ACR setting named)	Settings › Privacy › Ads	Google TV Help
Apple TV 4K (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Use Play History	Settings › Apps › TV	Apple Support

Menus move between model years. LG’s user guide says the configurable items “differ depending upon model”, and Sony says the location of settings may differ on your model, so if a path does not match your TV, look for the setting’s name instead.

LG

LG says ACR is off by default and runs only if you accepted the Viewing Information Agreement. Its statement says you can withdraw that agreement or turn ACR off in TV settings.

1. Press the settings button on the remote, then go to Support › Privacy & Terms › User Agreements. LG’s 2025 webOS guide puts the agreements here. Withdraw the Viewing Information agreement. If you do not want ads based on it either, withdraw LG’s separate Interest-Based Cross Device Advertising agreement too; LG says it does not use ACR for interest-based ads unless you accepted both.
2. Go to General › System › Additional Settings and set Live Plus to Off. LG’s guide describes Live Plus as extras “related to the content you’re watching”.
3. In Support › Privacy & Terms › Advertisement, turn Limit AD Tracking on.
4. To clear what has already been collected, the same menu has Delete My Personal Information › Delete Viewing Information.

One detail from LG’s statement cuts against the usual advice. LG’s ACR works on Live TV, HDMI inputs and LG Channels, and LG says it does not operate inside third-party streaming apps such as Netflix or YouTube. On an LG set with the agreement accepted, a box plugged into HDMI is in scope and the TV’s own Netflix app is not.

LG’s statement also says what withdrawing costs you. Streaming apps, live TV, HDMI devices and software updates keep working without the optional agreements. The exception is voice: LG says the Viewing Information agreement may be needed for commands such as “Go to channel 11”, because the TV has to know whether you are on Live TV or an HDMI input. Its ACR identifies content from an audio fingerprint made by the TV’s internal audio processor, and LG says it collects no screenshots, video, voice or other audio recordings. Where the agreements are accepted, LG adds, nearby Wi‑Fi access-point information may be used to estimate the TV’s approximate location for ACR.

Vizio

On a Vizio TV running VIZIO OS:

1. Press MENU or the gear button on the remote.
2. Go to All Settings › Privacy and Legal.
3. Highlight Viewing Data and press the right arrow to set it to Off.

Vizio says that turning Viewing Data off deletes the logs already collected from its database. That is the opposite of Roku, which keeps them. Vizio also says it collects no viewing data in Canada, or from a TV that is not connected to the internet.

Whether a new set can be used without connecting it at all differs by platform; using a smart TV without internet or an account gives each one’s answer.

The switch is per set: Vizio says a change affects only the TV where you made it, so a house with three Vizio TVs needs three changes. While it is on, Vizio says it may share Viewing Data with analytics companies, media companies and advertisers, sometimes combined with household demographic data. Vizio’s page mentions its older VIA Plus software but gives steps only for VIZIO OS. Which Vizio set is which, by backlight and resolution, is in Vizio’s TV collections compared.

Samsung

Samsung’s support page says ACR “only runs if you opted in” to Viewing Information Services when you set up the TV, and that you can turn it on or off at any time in the Settings menu. It does not give a menu path, and we could not find a current one on any Samsung page, so we are not printing one. In Settings, look for Viewing Information Services and turn it off.

The privacy notice for the service says what it can identify: the channels, programs, games, shopping services and apps you use, including viewing in Samsung TV Plus. Samsung adds that it does not record or watch the content on your screen. A second setting, Interest-Based Advertisements, decides whether ads are picked for you, and Samsung says you can turn it off in the TV’s settings or in its Privacy Choices app. Samsung says viewing data goes into personalised ads only when both are on, so turning off Viewing Information Services keeps it out even if you leave ads alone.

Roku TV

Roku’s own page gives the path: Settings › Privacy › Smart TV Experience, where the switch is labelled Use info from TV inputs. Turn it off. The steps are Roku’s, so they apply to TVs running Roku’s software, whatever name is on the bezel. Roku says the choice affects only that Roku TV.

Two limits, both in Roku’s words. Data collected while the setting was on “will be retained by Roku and may still be shared with third parties”. And the setting does not affect what Roku collects from its streaming channels. For that, Roku points to Personalize Ads in the same settings menu. Its separate Limit third-party ad tracking option asks channel providers to stop using the advertising ID, which Roku says it “cannot guarantee” they will respect. Roku also says a factory reset removes that preference.

Hisense

Hisense’s US privacy notice calls its ACR the Enhanced Viewing Service. It is opt-in, offered at setup or later in settings, and once on it analyses the audio of whatever is on screen, including set-top boxes, media players, game consoles and over-the-air broadcasts. Hisense says you can turn it off at any time in the TV’s Settings, but the notice gives no menu path, so look for the name. Resetting the TV’s SmartTV Identifier is a separate step: Hisense says it stops old data being used for ads tied to the previous identifier, not the ads themselves. Which 2026 Hisense sets run Google TV, Fire TV or VIDAA is in our Hisense series explainer.

Sony

Sony’s support pages call the feature Samba Interactive TV, run by Samba TV. On Sony’s Android TV sets the path is Settings › System Preferences › Samba Interactive TV (some models say Interactive TV Settings), then Disable or Off. Sony says Samba can recognise content from the TV’s tuner and from devices on HDMI, such as a set-top box, Blu-ray player, Roku or Apple TV, but not from apps installed on the TV such as Netflix or YouTube. Disabling it stops the collection; to delete history already gathered, Sony says to contact Samba TV at privacy@samba.tv. Sony also gives separate paths for its 2014 to 2017 sets that do not run Android TV.

Fire TV and Google TV

Amazon does not use the term ACR on its Fire TV privacy FAQ. Its controls sit in Settings › Preferences › Privacy Settings: when we read the FAQ in September it listed Device Usage Data, Collect App Usage Data and Interest-based Ads, and said smart TVs built around Fire TV let you stop sending Amazon information on what you watch through an antenna from the same menu. Amazon’s developer policy, read on 27 October, confirms the menu and names the ad item as Your Advertising ID.

On Google TV sets, Google’s help page covers the advertising ID: Settings › Privacy › Ads › Delete advertising ID. Google says you then will not get ads based on that ID, though apps may still target ads on other information. Google’s page does not mention any setting for identifying what is on screen.

Apple TV 4K

Apple’s box is a different case. The viewing history Apple documents is the Apple TV app’s own: in Settings › Apps › TV, turn off Use Play History, which drives its recommendations and Continue Watching. Clear Play History in the same place removes what the current profile has watched in the app across your devices. The Verge’s reviewer suggests going further: take the TV off the network entirely and watch through a separate box. He uses an Apple TV 4K, which he reports does not use ACR.

If you move to an external box, turn the TV’s own setting off anyway. On LG, Roku, Hisense and Sony sets, the makers say the TV can recognise what a connected box plays while the setting is on.

Where we found no switch

We found no first-party page giving a viewing-data switch for TCL’s Google TV sets. TCL’s Google TV settings guide lists an item called Automatic Content Recognition under picture settings, and describes it only as switching to a matching picture mode when FILMMAKER MODE or IMAX content is detected. TCL does not say whether it is also a viewing-data switch, so do not rely on it as one. The same setting appears in our guide to turning off motion smoothing, as the switch into Filmmaker Mode. TCL sets that run Roku’s software follow the Roku steps above.

What none of these switches does

They stop the TV identifying what is on screen. They do not stop Netflix, YouTube or any other app recording what you watch inside it. Roku says channel operators “may collect information about your use of their channels”, and each app has its own privacy settings.

What the TV records of the screen is one question; what it says about the other devices on your home network is a separate one, and only one maker of the five puts it in writing.

If you are choosing a new set, the privacy menus are worth a look alongside the specs that actually separate price tiers. Our TV shortlist is built from review scores and does not rank privacy. And if you connect a box and your streams start stalling, a clean speed test does not rule out the network.

Questions people ask

How do I disable ACR on an LG TV?

Go to Support › Privacy & Terms › User Agreements and withdraw the Viewing Information agreement, which is what switches ACR on. LG says ACR is off by default and runs only if you accepted it. For ads as well, withdraw the separate Interest-Based Cross Device Advertising agreement. Paths are from LG’s 2025 webOS guide and differ by model.

How do I turn off ACR on a Vizio TV?

On a TV running VIZIO OS, press MENU or the gear button, go to All Settings › Privacy and Legal, highlight Viewing Data and press the right arrow to set it to Off. Vizio calls ACR Viewing Data, and the change applies only to the TV you make it on.

How do I turn off ACR on a Samsung TV?

Turn off Viewing Information Services in the TV’s Settings menu. Samsung says ACR runs only if you agreed to that notice, but its support page gives no menu path, so search Settings for the name. Interest-Based Advertisements is a separate switch for personalised ads.

How do I turn off ACR on a Roku TV?

Go to Settings › Privacy › Smart TV Experience and turn off Use info from TV inputs. Roku says this covers the antenna and devices plugged into the TV, applies only to that TV, and that data collected while it was on is kept.

How do I turn off ACR on a Sony TV?

On Sony’s Android TV sets, go to Settings › System Preferences › Samba Interactive TV (or Interactive TV Settings) and choose Disable or Off. Sony notes the location may differ by model, and to delete history already collected you contact Samba TV.

Does turning off ACR delete what was already collected?

It depends on the brand. Vizio says switching Viewing Data off deletes its logs. Roku says data collected while the setting was on is kept and may still be shared. LG has a separate Delete Viewing Information option under Support › Privacy & Terms, and Sony points you to Samba TV.

Does turning off ACR on an LG TV break anything?

Mostly not. LG says declining its optional agreements does not stop streaming apps, live TV, HDMI devices or software updates. One catch: LG says the Viewing Information agreement may be needed for some voice commands, such as “Go to channel 11”, where the TV has to know whether you are on Live TV or an HDMI input.

Does ACR record my screen or my voice?

Not by LG’s or Samsung’s account. LG says its ACR makes an audio fingerprint with the TV’s internal audio processor and collects no screenshots, video, voice or other audio recordings. Samsung says it does not record or watch the content on your screen. Both describe identifying what you watch, not capturing it.