Stop TCL TV tracking by disabling ACR and limiting Google data

Yes. TCL’s Google TV models use ACR, technology that identifies what’s on screen by comparing digital fingerprints of the picture against a database of known content. Think of it as Shazam for your screen: it samples what you see and matches it. Because it works at the TV level, it can recognize content arriving through HDMI from devices like Roku and Apple boxes, cable boxes and game consoles.

TV makers generally say ACR is optional and that they don’t record or watch what’s on your screen. Information collected when it’s on can include the programs you watch and for how long, device identifiers and IP addresses, and data used to work out your viewing preferences.

On a TCL Google TV, there are two layers. TCL has data-sharing opt-ins in its User Agreement, and Google has its own for using its software and services. The steps below cover both. They’re based on TCL’s 2026 75-inch QM7L, and menu names may differ slightly on other models.

Start with TCL’s own settings. First, switch off the feature that analyzes what’s playing to adjust picture and sound:

1. Press the settings (cog) button on your remote and choose All Settings.
2. Open Display and Sound, then Picture.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the list and switch off the automated content recognition option.

Next, go to the core ACR consent:

1. Still in settings, scroll to Privacy and open Terms & Privacy (sometimes labeled User Agreement).
2. Deselect the data-sharing options. On the QM7L there are two, plus a Select all box you should leave unchecked.
3. Press Agree to save. It’s confusing, because there’s no Save button, but Agree confirms your choices after you’ve unticked the options.

Now deal with Google’s layer. These settings live in the same Privacy menu:

1. Open Usage & Diagnostics and set it to Off.
2. Open Ads and choose whichever option your TV shows: Reset advertising ID, or Limit ad tracking.
3. Scroll to Special app access, then Usage access, and turn everything off. This stops apps from seeing what you do in other apps.
4. Open App permissions to control which apps can use the microphone.

If you use voice search with your remote, you may want to keep microphone access on. For extra peace of mind, the QM7L has a physical microphone switch on the bottom of the TV, under the TCL logo; check whether your model has one too. Flip it off when you don’t need voice control, so the TV isn’t listening in the living room.

Switching off ACR cuts the biggest source of viewing data, but it doesn’t make your TV invisible. The manufacturer may still process account details, device identifiers and diagnostics. Netflix, YouTube and other apps collect their own viewing data, which you control in each service’s settings, not the TV’s.

Gemini for TV, Google’s new AI assistant on the platform, is a separate privacy question with its own multi-step process, and these steps don’t cover it. Removing it is harder than turning off ACR.

For the strictest option, you can disconnect the TV from the internet entirely and use an external streaming box, though smart features stop working and that device will have its own settings to check.

Regulators have taken notice. Texas went to court in December 2025, when its attorney general, Ken Paxton, filed suits against five TV makers including Samsung, alleging they collected viewing data through ACR without proper consent. Texas reached an agreement with Samsung on February 26, 2026, requiring express, informed consent before ACR data is collected, and a similar agreement with LG in May.

It isn’t the first case. In 2017, Vizio agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle federal claims that it collected viewing histories from about 11 million TVs without adequate notice. Those cases have pushed brands toward clearer opt-ins, but the default settings on a new TV still tend to favor data collection, so it pays to check yours after setup and after big software updates.