LG monitor ads spark backlash after McAfee pop-up complaints
LG faces complaints over ads on monitors and TVs after Microsoft said it pushed the company to disable McAfee pop-ups.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
LG monitor ads have kicked up a customer revolt after a gaming monitor owner said an LG screen triggered pop-ups promoting McAfee software on a Windows PC.
The complaint surfaced on X on July 17, when a user identified as wexos warned others not to buy an LG monitor. The customer claimed the monitor had automatically downloaded an app that produced pop-ups for LG apps and McAfee.
Gamers Nexus later examined the issue and reported that LG UltraGear monitors were installing a program called LG Monitor App Install after being connected to Windows computers. PCMag reported that the program prompted users to install additional apps and displayed a pop-up for McAfee Scam Detector software.
Why are LG monitor ads appearing?
According to reporting by Gamers Nexus and PCMag, the pop-ups were tied to LG Monitor App Install, software associated with certain LG UltraGear monitors when used with Windows PCs. The reported issue was not that McAfee was installed by itself, but that users were being shown prompts and an ad for McAfee software.
Microsoft soon got involved publicly. Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s executive vice president for Windows and Devices, replied to the customer’s complaint on X and later said Microsoft had intervened. Davuluri said LG had agreed to disable the pop-up ads.
LG disputed any suggestion that McAfee was being installed without permission. In a statement to Windows Latest, LG Electronics said: “McAfee is not installed automatically and is never installed without the user’s explicit consent.”
The monitor flare-up landed as LG was also facing criticism over ads on its television interface. Tom Warren of The Verge posted on X criticizing LG for showing ads on his TV home screen.
LG’s advertising plans for TV screens were already visible earlier this year. At the IAB NewFronts event in March, LG’s Ad Solutions division promoted the TV home screen as a key advertising spot from the moment a user turns on the set, according to Adweek.
Adweek reported that LG described a new home screen setup that places full-frame video inside the LG TV interface and gives brands access to users at the first point of interaction.
LG is not alone in putting ads inside connected devices. The broader category includes internet-linked products such as Amazon Echo Show devices, which have drawn user complaints over ads, and Samsung smart refrigerators, which faced backlash over ads for the Apple TV show Pluribus appearing on fridge doors, according to prior reports cited by Mashable.
The speed of the response to the LG monitor complaints stands out because Microsoft said it pushed the company to act, and because LG agreed to disable the pop-ups. The separate complaints about TV home screen ads suggest the fight over advertising inside household screens is not limited to one product line.
Mashable reported that it contacted LG with questions about the company’s advertising strategy.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.