How to turn off ACR on a TCL TV
TCL sells TVs with two systems: Google TV and, in the US, Roku TV. On Google TV models content recognition does not appear under that name in the privacy menu. It sits behind Interactive Service, and in a picture setting called Automatic Content Recognition. Here is where both are, and what else to switch off.
Updated
Step by step
TCL Google TV (2023 to 2026 models)
Paths from TCL’s Google TV manual and from tests on US models; European models may use different names.
- Turn off Interactive Service. RTINGS found that this is where TCL’s content recognition lives; the entry only appears after the first setup.
- Turn off Automatic Content Recognition in the picture options too.
- Withdraw your consent to the User Experience Improvement Program. On some models the entry is called Terms & Privacy: untick both boxes and press Agree, because there is no Save button.
- Delete or reset the advertising ID.
TCL Roku TV
- Untick Automatic Content Recognition (on older software, Use Info from TV Inputs).
Menus change with TV updates: if a label does not match, look for the closest entry in the same section.
Two switches, not one
TCL describes Interactive Service only as a way to manage interactive service options, and the picture setting as the feature that switches the picture mode when it recognises Filmmaker or IMAX content. RTINGS, testing a 2025 model, reports that both rely on content recognition. Turn off both: the only thing you lose is the automatic switch of picture mode, which you can still set by hand.
What the menus leave on
Google says that Google TV itself does not use content recognition, while the TV makers that build on it can, and TCL does. Usage data, the apps you install and the TV’s own services keep talking to their servers with these switches off. In December 2025 the Texas attorney general sued TCL, together with four other TV makers, over content recognition.
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Questions
What is Interactive Service on a TCL TV?
TCL describes it only as a way to manage interactive service options. Tests by RTINGS found that it is where the TV’s content recognition is switched on and off.
Will turning off Automatic Content Recognition change my picture?
The TV stops switching picture mode on its own when it recognises Filmmaker or IMAX content. You can still choose the mode by hand.
Sources
- TCL Google TV settings and user manual guide, TCL Support · checked on October 21, 2026
- Smart TV tracking: what your TV collects, RTINGS · checked on October 21, 2026
- Your TCL TV is spying on you: here’s how to disable the settings responsible, Pocket-lint · checked on October 21, 2026
- How to Turn Off Smart TV Snooping Features, Consumer Reports · checked on October 21, 2026
- Can I change the ad settings on my TCL Google TV?, TCL Support · checked on October 21, 2026
- Attorney General Paxton sues five major TV companies, Texas Attorney General, 15 December 2025 · checked on October 21, 2026
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