Is your LG TV giving you and everyone in the house goosebumps as it turns itself on? But there’s a simple explanation for a seemingly hair-raising experience—no need to call a ghostbuster!
An LG TV that turns on by itself is generally caused by features like Simplink, Timer Power On, or Eco Mode. Deal with this issue by power cycling the TV and remote or turning off Simplink, Eco Mode, and Timer Power On.
In this post, we’ll give you all the tools you need to factor in quick fixes when an LG TV turns on by itself. All in all, we’ll detail 10 proven-and-tested solutions you can DIY and various techniques you can use so the problem won’t pester you again.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Duration | 44 minutes and 55 seconds |
| Number of Fixes | 10 |
| Things You Need | LG TVLG TV remote controlA PC/SmartphoneUSB StickA working internet connection |
How to Stop Your LG TV From Turning On by Itself
Of the 10 presented here, you might want to cherrypick a solution that appeals to you. However, not starting from the top could mean a more straightforward solution has slipped your finger.
1. Inspect the power source for your LG TV.
Connecting to a faulty and problematic power source can cause different power-related issues on your LG TV. Some issues resulting from a terrible power source include LG TV turning off/on itself, giving you the creeps.
You can prevent these issues by properly inspecting your power sources at home. A voltmeter can be used to read the power outlets to ensure that they carry electricity.
Switching to another power source is another viable option if the one you’re using is faulty. Just remember to watch your steps when dealing with electricity which means you should double check you don’t come in contact with any live wire.
2. Remove its batteries and discharge the LG remote.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Duration | 1 minute and 30 seconds |
Using a remote control that is malfunctioning could be the reason your LG TV turns on by itself without any input from you. To troubleshoot a problematic remote control, reset its components by removing and reinserting its batteries.
Before reinserting the batteries, we recommend you power cycle the remote control to discharge any stored residual energy from its components. Rocking the remote with a few smacks to loosen its buttons and dislodge any dirt build-up inside it.
Don’t forget to loosen and remove dirt that builds up from sweat and dust around the gaps of each button. You can do this by repeatedly pressing all the buttons at once.
Follow these steps to discharge the remote control of your LG TV:
| Step 1: Open the battery compartment on your LG remote control. Remove its batteries.  |
Step 2: Press the power button on your LG remote control for 1 minute. |
Step 3: Press all of the buttons on your LG remote control repeatedly. Note: Smack your remote into your hand a few times to help dislodge any dust buildup inside the remote control. |
| Step 4: Put its batteries back and cover the battery compartment. Test if the remote control is working and no longer turns the TV on by itself.  |
| Step 5: Repeat the previous steps five more times if it didn’t work at first. |
That should be easy. If the issue persists, you need to move forward and factor in the next quick solution.
3. Turn off the Timer Power On feature on your LG TV.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 6 |
| Duration | 20 seconds |
LG TVs have a feature that allows it to automatically power on or off based on a predetermined schedule that you can set yourself. If your LG TV turns on itself, it might be due to a power-on timer you forgot about or somebody else set up.
In such cases, it’s advisable to double-check your LG TV’s power on/off timers to ensure it’s not scheduled to turn on/off at a given time. If it is, you have to disable the timers by toggling them off.
Follow these steps to disable the power-off timer on your LG TV:
Step 1: Click the gear button on the LG remote control to open the optionspanel.  |
Step 2: Scroll down/click All Settings/Advanced Settings. |
Step 3: Scroll down/click General. |
Step 4: Scroll down/click Timers. |
Step 5: Scroll down/click Timer Power On. |
Step 6: Select/click the Timer Power On switch to toggle it off. |
Don’t worry if this solution comes in empty. There are more powerful solutions you can factor ahead.
4. Deactivate your LG TV’s Simplink (HDMI-CEC) feature.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Duration | 15 seconds |
Simplink is a trademark by the LG company for the High Definition Multimedia Interface – Consumer Electronic Control (HDMI-CEC) functionality on their products. This feature lets you operate HDMI devices using only your LG remote control.
Additionally, Simplink gives these HDMI devices partial control over your LG TV. An example of this is automatically turning your TV on/off whenever a connected HDMI input device, such as a gaming console or DVD player, is turned on/off as well.
As such, we recommend disabling the Simplink feature to address that your LG TV turns on itself without your consent.
Follow these steps to turn off Simplink on your LG TV:
| Step 1: Click the gear button on the LG remote control to open the options panel.  |
Step 2: Scroll down/click All Settings/Advanced Settings. |
Step 3: Scroll down/click General. |
Step 4: Scroll down/click SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC). |
Step 5: Toggle the Simplink switch off. |
5. Disable the Eco Mode on the LG TV.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 6 |
| Duration | 20 seconds |
The eco mode allows your LG TV to cut its power consumption and save some power by adjusting its performance automatically. This feature is usually tied to issues causing your LG TV to keep turning off.
Additionally, it might also affect the TV’s overall functionality.
If your LG TV turns on by itself already, it’s much better to disable other features that might add more headaches on top of the problem. Since the eco mode is a usual culprit of power-up issues, we recommend fixing it for good measure.
Follow these steps to turn off Eco Mode/HDD Eco on your LG TV:
| Step 1: Press the gear button on the LG remote control to open the options panel.  |
Step 2: Scroll down/click All Settings/Advanced Settings. |
Step 3: Scroll down/click General. |
Step 4: Scroll down/click Eco Mode. |
Step 5: Select/click Auto Power Off and set it to Off. |
Step 6: Toggle the HDD Eco Mode switch off. |
6. Disconnect the LG TV from a Wi-Fi network.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 8 |
| Duration | 25 seconds |
Leaving your LG TV connected to any Wi-Fi network might lead to some unexpected problems, such as turning itself on without your manual input. Please note that this is only likely to happen due to your TV being connected to a smart home device.
Smart home devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Nest can accidentally turn on your LG TV from an unintentional voice command. To save yourself from such situations, we recommend disconnecting your LG TV from a Wi-Fi network.
Alternatively, you can disconnect the smart home device from the Wi-Fi network when you won’t use them. Doing so should stop them from being the reason your LG TV turns on by itself.
Follow the steps below to disconnect your LG TV from a Wi-Fi network.
| Step 1: Press the gear button on the LG remote control to open the options panel.  |
Step 2: Scroll down/click All Settings/Advanced Settings. |
| Step 3: Scroll down/click Network. |
Step 4: Scroll down/click Wi-Fi Connection. |
Step 5: Toggle the Wi-Fi connection switch off. |
Step 6: Click YES to confirm this action. |
Step 7: Return to Network and scroll down/click Wi-Fi Direct. |
Step 8: Toggle the Wi-Fi Direct switch off. |
7. Unplug the TV from its wall outlet and conduct a power cycle.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Duration | 1 minute and 5 seconds |
If your LG TV turns on by itself and one way to troubleshoot it is to power cycle the remote control, the same is true when power cycling the TV as well. This method is a quick and easy way to tackle minor issues on LG TVs.
By power cycling your LG TV, you’ll be able to discharge its residual energy and prevent further issues such as misbehaving apps, slower performance, and more. After the TV reboots, its performance should improve.
Follow the steps below to unplug and power cycle your LG TV:
- Unplug the LG TV from the wall/electrical outlet.
- Press/hold the power button for 30 seconds on the LG TV itself.
- Release the power button on the LG TV and wait for 30 seconds.
- Plug the LG TV back into the wall/electrical outlet.
Note: We recommend checking if the LG TV is plugged into the outlet tightly to avoid any power supply issues. A loose connection might result in more issues.
8. Reset your LG TV to restore its default settings.
A factory reset is the best way to troubleshoot any issues on an LG TV. This method will restore the TV to its default or initial settings, which turns it back into a newly-opened device.
WARNING:
All saved data on your LG TV will be lost after the factory reset. It’s best, therefore, that you save a copy of these data and that should also include the TV settings.
The downside of this troubleshooting trick is that it removes everything saved on your LG TV. This includes all your downloaded apps and files, account data, and every settings configuration you’ve made before.
As such, you’ll need to set up your LG TV when it reboots after the factory reset. If it’s successful, you can expect that it will remove the reason that your LG TV turns on by itself.
Follow these steps to reset your LG TV to its default settings with a remote:
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 6 |
| Duration | 10 minutes |
| Step 1: Press the gear button on the LG remote control to open the options panel.  |
Step 2: Scroll down/click Advanced Settings/All Settings. |
Step 3: Scroll down/click General. |
Step 4: Scroll down/click Reset to Initial Settings. |
Step 5: Click OK to factory reset your LG TV to its default settings. |
Sometimes, you won’t have access to a remote. No need to panic, you can still factor changes without one using the ThinkQ app.
Follow these steps to reset your LG TV to default settings without a remote:
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 17 |
| Duration | 11 minutes |
Step 1: Open the Apple App Store or Google Play Store app on a smartphone. |
Step 2: Select/click its search bar. |
Step 3: Type/search for the ThinQ app. |
Step 4: Click the Install button to download and install this app. |
Step 5: Click Open to launch the ThinQ app. |
Step 6: Select/click Sign in with LG to enter an LG account. Note: If you don’t have an LG account, create one for free. You only need to follow the on-screen instructions or you can also just use a different sign-in method such as Google or Facebook. |
Step 7: Enter your account credentials and click Sign in to continue to your account. |
Step 8: Select/click Add a Device. |
Step 9: Click Select Device and hit Next. |
Step 10: Select/click TV from the list of products. |
Step 11: Select/click your LG TV from the list. |
Step 12: Enter the pin code on your LG TV display screen and hit Next. |
Step 13: Select/click Skip to bypass the linking process. |
Step 14: Click Move to Home to return to the ThinQ home screen. |
| Step 15: Select/click the TV tile on the ThinQ home screen to use it as a remote control.  |
| Step 16: Operate your LG TV using the ThinQ app as a remote control. |
| Step 17: Conduct a factory reset on your LG TV using the ThinQ app. Follow the factory reset instructions from the previous section. |
9. Tighten the fit of the power cable.
Properly connecting the power cable of your LG TV to the wall outlet is essential to avoid power-related issues from emerging. Subjecting your LG TV to a loose connection not only causes it to malfunction but can also lead to damage to its components.
You can prevent all of these problems, as well as the issue with your LG TV turning on by itself, by ensuring that your power connections are secure. For a faulty power cable, it’s advisable to replace it with a new one immediately.
10. Update LG TV OS
If your LG TV turns on by itself, you might be experiencing a software-related issue that’s causing this problem. In this case, we recommend checking for available system updates to patch your LG TV and fix these software issues.
A software update can be done in two different ways depending on your Wi-Fi network. If your Wi-Fi provides your LG TV with a reliable and speedy internet connection, you can download the updates over the air.
If you’re having network connectivity issues, you can instead use a PC to download the software update and transfer it to a USB stick. You can then use the USB stick to update the software of your LG TV manually.
Follow these steps to update your LG TV over the internet:
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 8 |
| Duration | 10 minutes |
| Step 1: Press the gear button on the LG remote control to open the options panel. |
Step 2: Scroll down/click All Settings/Advanced Settings. |
Step 3: Scroll down/click General. |
Step 4: Scroll down/click About This TV. |
Step 5: Scroll down/click CHECK FOR UPDATES. |
Step 6: Click YES to continue with the download. |
Step 7: Wait for your LG TV to finish the download. |
Step 8: Restart your LG TV to install its update. |
Follow these steps to upgrade your LG TV via a USB stick manually:
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 14 |
| Duration | 10 minutes |
| Step 1: Press the gear button on the LG remote control to open the options panel. |
Step 2: Scroll down/click All Settings/Advanced Settings. |
Step 3: Scroll down/click Network and write down your LG TV model. |
Step 4: Go back and click General. |
Step 5: Scroll down/click About This TV and write down the software version. |
Step 6: Go to a PC’s internet browser and proceed to the LG vendor’s official website. |
Step 7: Use the search bar to enter/search your LG TV model. |
Step 8: Download the available software file. Step 8: Download the available software file. |
Step 9: Extract the downloaded file into a USB stick plugged into your PC. |
Step 10: Rename the folder you extracted as LG_DTV. |
Step 11: Turn your LG TV on with a USB stick plugged into it. |
| Step 12: Wait until your LG TV scans the USB stick for the software file. Click YES to continue and install.  |
Step 13: Click CHECK NOW to view your installation progress. |
Step 14: Click YES to proceed to restart your LG TV and apply its update. |
That might be a long one but rest assured that should take care of the situation. If not, getting in touch with LG TV customer service or a service center should be wise.
FAQs about LG TV
LG Smart TVs turn on automatically using the Timer Power On feature. Using this timer, you can schedule when your LG TV will turn on by itself.
An opposite feature called Timer Power Off is also available, which allows you to schedule when your LG TV will turn off automatically. Using these timers hand in hand helps you fit your TV-watching schedule into your daily routine.
Simplink turns on your TV whenever it detects an external device that’s connected via an HDMI connection turning on. You have to go to All Settings > General > Simplink to turn this feature off and prevent your LG TV from turning on by itself.
Your neighbors can control your LG TV and operate it unintentionally. In the extreme case that they own a remote compatible with your LG TV, this is a likely but rare possibility.
If they accidentally programmed their remote to control your TV instead, this might cause you to think your LG TV turns on by itself and more.
Accidentally sitting on the remote is an unusual way for an LG TV to turn on. If you’re unaware of this, you’ll think the TV just turned on itself.
Additionally, someone could be playing a prank on you. An Android smartphone can act as a remote to an Android TV allowing a user to control the unit from a safe distance.
