Your recent LG OLED TV will soon get a great free upgrade – sooner than expected
The LG C3 and LG G3 TVs are getting an upgrade to their smart TV operating system, which is now rolling out – earlier than the 2025 timeframe it was originally planned for. The ‘webOS 24’ update brings several new features that first appeared on LG’s 2024 TVs (pictured above).
The new software is now appearing on some C3 and G3 TVs, but here’s how FlatpanelsHD Notes: There’s no need to panic if it hasn’t appeared on your TV yet; it may take a few days to appear on all TVs. If you have any other 2023 LG TV, including the LG B3, you can still expect this update, but it looks like the more premium OLED TVs will be the lucky first few.
LG has committed to offering upgrades for its webOS TVs for five years, with the upgrades arriving a year later than the next version. The stated plan was for 2023 TVs to get the upgrades that first appeared in the 2024 TVs (including the LG C4) in 2025. LG has jumped the gun on that, but I’m not complaining about any improvement over the best OLED TVs.
The 2022 TVs, including the LG C2, will receive an upgrade to the 2023 software in 2025, according to the same rule. It’s always a step back.
According to LG, these are the four most important new features of this update:
- Chromecast built-in: Now you can enjoy your mobile content on the big screen without any additional devices.
- Voice ID: Recognize your voice to automatically log in and provide personalized services.
- Sports portal: view the schedule, scores and odds of your favorite sports team at once.
- Chatbot: Solve problems easily through dialogue.
When we first tested this new version of webOS, we mentioned the Sports Portal and its accessibility features (including the chatbot) as some of the best changes, so it’s nice to see them coming to more sets.
The chatbot felt like a work-in-progress, but the general principle is that you can simply ask the TV why your photo doesn’t look right and have it point you to options to fix the problem. That’s instead of you being expected to know which menu to search through, which is clearly a good idea.
This is the first time we’re seeing the fruits of LG’s plans to consistently upgrade its sets, and it could certainly be something that helps place its models in our list of the best TVs, as it adds to their value in the long term. Samsung recently announced that its TVs will get seven years of updates (beating LG’s five), so LG’s attempt to be the first with this kind of promise has already helped improve things for buyers of other brands as well.