The awful screen saver ads plaguing newer models like the LG G4 OLED will now appear on older LG OLED TVs as well.

According to FlatpanelsHD, LG will sneak intrusive ads into older OLED TVs dating back to 2020; LG's plan to update older TV models to the new webOS interface is also due to the inclusion of these ads as “the company's new webOS interface.

Screensaver ads were not included when the TVs were first purchased, and after the webOS update, users have noted no mention of the new screensaver ad feature in the list of new features. This may mean that it is better to stick with the old webOS firmware to avoid these intrusive ads.

Fortunately, there is a way to turn off ads in the settings. We'll show you how to do that and diagnose what LG is trying to do with its big push of screen saver ads. After all, LG as well as Roku users have similar ad-based woes.

Unfortunately, this development is not limited to the U.S., and, like Reddit user DMHook, Canadian-based LG TV owners are also starting to see screensaver ads.

According to their description, the TVs display screensaver ads after several minutes of inactivity; LG's screensaver ads are the new generated wallpaper Samsung has added to its 2024 TV lineup, except that instead of a Picasso or Rembrandt, it shows a local Chilean ad Think of it like a feature.

LG is not alone in this endeavor; Roku also recently patented a method for playing video ads on the home screen. This also extends to when a movie or program is paused, similar to LG's screen saver ads.

FlatpanelsTV suspects that the ads may be loosely tied to LG's webOS upgrade plan. webOS ReNew, as the program is called, is intended to provide older LG TVs with the latest webOS firmware. LG has just updated its 2023 TV lineup with webOS 24, and is set to do this even for TVs that are four years old.

So how do we fix this? Go to [Settings]-->[Additional Settings]-->[Screensaver Promotion] and switch this off.

Hopefully in the future LG will ask the user if they want to see the promotion before automatically enabling it when setting up a new TV. For now, however, all it takes to turn it off is a quick trip to settings.

Still, the lack of mention of this change in the update notes or in the firmware changes is understandably a frustrating surprise.

How do we know if the update has been applied? TVs that have reported this change include the LG GX OLED, LG B1 OLED, LG B2 OLED, and the recent LG C4 OLED TVs.

If you are on that list, screensaver ads will appear soon.