Turn Off Tracking Secria

How to turn off tracking on a TCL TV

The steps depend on which system your TCL TV runs: Google TV, the older Android TV, or Roku TV. On Google TV sets, TCL's own user agreements sit on top of Google's.1, 3, 4

Checked 29 October 2026 against the sources. Steps are for US models.

Turn it off

Use the guide for the system your TCL TV runs.

TCL Google TV

SettingsPrivacy › User Agreements, and Privacy › Ads

Checked against TCL Support and Consumer Reports' tests of 2025 TCL sets (updated 19 October 2025).1, 4

  1. From the home screen, select Settings at the top, then Privacy › User Agreements.4
  2. Withdraw consent for the User Experience Improvement Program and for diagnostic information.Consumer Reports found you must accept TCL's Terms & Privacy agreement to use the TV, but these parts are optional, and you can opt out during setup as well.4
  3. Back in Settings, open Privacy › Ads.1
  4. Choose Delete Advertising ID, press the D-pad on the remote twice to focus on it, then press Select to confirm.1Reset Advertising ID in the same menu swaps the ID for a new one instead.1

Google's own settings on these TVs, such as Location and personalized recommendations, are in our Google TV guide.

TCL Android TV

Legal InformationAds › Delete advertising ID

The path TCL gives in its US privacy notice (effective 18 July 2025).3

  1. Open Settings › Device › Preferences › About › Legal Information.3
  2. Select Ads › Delete advertising ID.3

TCL Roku TV

SettingsPrivacy › Smart TV Experience

TCL is one of the brands that sells Roku TVs.4

  1. On a TCL Roku TV the privacy settings are Roku's. Follow our Roku TV guide for ACR and personalized ads.

The setting called ACR that isn't tracking

Some TCL Google TVs have a picture setting with the same name as the tracking technology.

Automatic Content Recognition, the picture setting

TCL's settings guide, based on the X11L Series manual, describes it as switching the TV to a matching picture mode when supported FILMMAKER MODE or IMAX content is detected.2

TCL lists it under the picture options, not the privacy menu.2

The advertising ID

TCL says every TCL Google TV has a unique advertising ID that apps use for personalized ads. Deleting it removes it without a replacement, and apps can still show ads, no longer based on the old ID.1

You can't turn off ads entirely.1

Questions people ask

Can I use a TCL Google TV without agreeing to Google's policy?

Only as a basic TV. Consumer Reports found you can choose basic TV setup instead of Google TV, which gives you live TV and what you watch through HDMI devices, but not the smart apps.4

Can I ask TCL to delete my data?

TCL's US privacy notice says that, subject to certain exceptions, you can request that it delete your personal data, and it describes how to submit a request.3

Is TCL being sued over ACR?

On 15 December 2025 the Texas Attorney General announced suits against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL, alleging that their TVs collected viewing data through ACR without consumers' knowledge or consent.5 The suit is an allegation, not a finding.

Other TV guides

Sources 5
  1. Can I change the ad settings on my TCL Google TV?, TCL Support, undated. Read 29 October 2026.
  2. TCL Google TV Settings and User Manual Guide, TCL Support, based on the X11L Series manual, undated. Read 29 October 2026.
  3. Privacy Notice, TCL North America, effective 18 July 2025, sections on deletion requests and opting out on our TV. Read 29 October 2026.
  4. How to Turn Off Smart TV Snooping Features, James K. Willcox, Consumer Reports, updated 19 October 2025. Read 29 October 2026.
  5. Attorney General Paxton Sues Five Major TV Companies, Office of the Texas Attorney General, 15 December 2025. Read 29 October 2026.

Steps come from TCL's own pages and Consumer Reports' tests. How we check