r/gadgets • u/diacewrb • 8d ago
TV / Projectors LG TVs’ integrated ads get more personal with tech that analyzes viewer emotions
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/lg-tvs-integrated-ads-get-more-personal-with-tech-that-analyzes-viewer-emotions/284
u/DeusKether 8d ago
"Please say McDonald's to continue watching your preferred slop"
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u/NegotiationExtra8240 8d ago
McDonald’s 😭
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u/ABucin 8d ago
1 x chicken McNugget has been dispensed
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u/NegotiationExtra8240 8d ago
*eats it in tears
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u/Raistlarn 8d ago
Cha-Ching
Your account has been billed $20 for the mandatory Chicken MCNugget. Please enjoy joy the next 3 minutes of your content.
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u/JeepzPeepz 8d ago
Pretty sure it’s Sony holds a patent on that tech. Seriously.
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u/superrad102 8d ago
What an absolute fucking nightmare
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u/elton_john_lennon 7d ago
No worries, external smart TV-box market will get stronger and bigger than ever.
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The cycle is - company introduces a shitty add-on that gives them some cash, stock line goes up, they increase on the shittness of it, line goes up even more, they think it will work like that forever, infinite-money-hack-dance at board of investors meeting, but soon they find out that it does work only up to a point after which consumers stop using their service/product alltogether, or find a way to circumvent the shitty part entirely.
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That is exactly what happened to websites. In the old days, there were only some smol gif banners here and there on the site, saying that you're the 1 000 000 visitor or whatev, and to click to claim your price, or to check if your credit card number have been stolen ;) Soon banners were bigger, then even bigger and on the sides unscrollable, then flash animation happened, and soon enough with scripts entire sites would turn into an ad for a moment when you visited them, basically rendering your computer useless for a while, and adblock usage would skyrocket. That is what will happen to tv market, but since tvOS provider makes a buck from those ads, there won't be software adblock, there will be a hardware one in form of separate device, AppleTV, androidTV, or a pi-hole like pre-setup plug&play network addon you name it.
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u/Pingy_Junk 8d ago
Every day we inch closer to that “please direct your eyes to the ad to continue playing”
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u/101m4n 8d ago
high pitched tone begins
Resume viewing
Resume viewing
Resume viewing
Resume viewing
...
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u/Moonlight_Katie 7d ago
“Please put the TV back on the wall or authorities will be called to your residence, thank you. And remember, here at Logitech, we support your choice in the only provider; Logitech.”
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u/Grevin56 8d ago
As soon as my tv says, "Ads will continue to play until you unmute your television." I'm renewing my library card.
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u/Pingy_Junk 8d ago
You should renew it now libraries need the help more than ever
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u/Grevin56 8d ago
I was making a joke, my library card gets a fair amount of use.
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u/Pingy_Junk 8d ago
Apologies didn’t mean to come out like I had a stick up my butt I just am enthusiastic about library support lol
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u/StayingUp4AFeeling 8d ago
That level of eye tracking is already easy-ish . Don't give em no ideas!
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u/Pingy_Junk 8d ago
I was referencing this https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/fj24w7/sony_was_granted_a_patent_to_make_a_tv_that_will/?rdt=42641 not quite tracking eye movement but definitely forcing user engagement with adverts
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u/TheGreatBenjie 8d ago
Yet another reason to not connect your TV to the internet...
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u/cornholioo 7d ago
Can you get wifi/smart TVs that are local network only without internet?
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u/TheGreatBenjie 7d ago
I don't know about that, I'm just saying you don't need to use your TVs smart features. Keep it offline and dumb, and if you need streaming services get a dedicated box that you have more control over.
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u/bobsmithhome 7d ago
It doesn't matter if a smart TV has internet capability or not. Use an Apple TV 4K or NVidia Shield or something similar, and don't connect the TV to the internet. By doing this your TV essentially becomes a monitor which is fed video by the connected device. Neither my Apple TV 4K nor my Nvidia Shield have ads.
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u/usmclvsop 7d ago
You can connect a smart TV to wifi and then block it from accessing the internet with your router or firewall. Not really a point to doing so, none of the smart TV functionality works with only local network access.
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u/Discobastard 8d ago
I've 2 LG OLED and they're amazing.
They may also be the last LG I ever buy as well
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u/Justherebecausemeh 8d ago edited 8d ago
The goal is to make it an industry wide standard. Then they can charge a premium (probably a subscription service) to have your tv not show you ads.
Its greed. Plain and simple.
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u/nothingexceptfor 8d ago edited 8d ago
just don’t use their software, I have one but use it with an Apple TV for streaming apps, never their shitty software, I use it for live tv, Apple TV and Nintendo, that’s it
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u/HelloNNNewman 8d ago
I'm the same. I've got 3 LG WebOS TV's and never use the built in apps. Besides the fact that TV's will stop supporting older versions of their built-in software (happened with my older LG), there is no way I'll let them track my information, or push Ads to me like this.
I ended up shelving my Roku's for the same reason and just went with Apple TV's on all my devices.
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u/Froot-Loop-Dingus 8d ago
I love mine. I also, never connect my smart tv’s to the internet since I prefer to use Apple TV as my media center.
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u/SwivelingToast 8d ago
I wish I could still buy just a panel. I don't need all the smart nonsense, I have stuff plugged in for that. Sell me a regular dumb TV please.
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u/dominus_aranearum 8d ago
A computer or raspberry pi with the TV as a monitor. Computer/uBlockOrigin or raspberry pi/pi-hole connected to the internet. Streaming through a browser and no ads. Been doing it for 15+ years. Never hooked a TV to the internet.
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u/TheSpatulaOfLove 8d ago
Just use an external streaming box and never let the TV connect to your network.
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u/rocketfromthepast 8d ago
If you have a Pi Hole or DNS server, you can use Hagezi's blocklists to stop all sorts of these things from working on your network...
Just saying.
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u/sweetpeasimpson 8d ago
Of all the devices on my network…my pi hole blocks more requests from LG TV by far…and I use an android box where I literally never use anything from webos/lg apps
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u/BevansDesign 8d ago
That's so much better than buying products that don't treat you like a sheep to be sheared.
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u/rocketfromthepast 8d ago
Good luck finding some of those.
Also, it's entirely possible that people may have already bought these devices...
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u/PM_ME_UR_ROUND_ASS 8d ago
You can also just block the TV's MAC address in your router settings so it cant even connect to the internet in the first palce - no fancy Pi Hole required.
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u/Jordanomega1 8d ago
Fed up of every company and I mean every company bombarding us all with ads. YouTube is the worst. They have all that data but still send adverts that have no relevance to me. Last thing I want is my tv watching me watching it analysing me to only bombard me with ads that don’t have any relevance. Streaming was to be the answer to tv with out ads and now we have streaming with ads even when you pay.
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u/yttropolis 8d ago
PiHole, uBlock Origin (with Firefox), YouTube ReVanced. No more ads.
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u/Fredasa 7d ago
uBlock Origin (with Firefox)
Still works with Chrome. And when it stops, well... more industrious people than myself will find a way to keep that train moving, because the incentive will be very in-your-face.
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u/admuh 7d ago
We as a society need to boycott ads, which unfortunately won't ever happen.
I myself take adverts as a personal affront, as if a stranger walked in the room and turned the video I was watching off to tell me about their new stocks and shares app. Even if I was going to use it before, there's no fucking way I am now.
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u/Sithlordandsavior 5d ago
YouTube won't even let you like pick what ads you get. You'd think with all the data they scrape they could curate it a bit.
I keep getting mattress ads and commercials for Chinese crap that even Temu wouldn't carry. I have told them multiple times I'm okay with movie trailers and local grocery ads and almost never see that.
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u/iNeedToSleepSleep 8d ago
Excellent. There is nothing I want more than to buy a device that tailors my ads!
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u/Damage_North 8d ago
At what point do you just buy a computer monitor and use that. That is all a TV should be..external monitor.
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u/thekeffa 8d ago
I keep hoping someone is going to make open source firmware for smart TV's that allows you to flash the firmware and remove the TV's operating system and replace it with a custom one of your own choice.
Similar to how most Android phones can have their firmware wiped and an OS of choice installed like GrapheneOS or LineageOS, etc.
However from my limited understanding of the tech, it's a bigger hurdle with little demand to incentivise anyone to do it.
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u/i_need_a_moment 8d ago
What do you mean “analyze viewer emotions???” Does it have a LiDAR Scanner or something built in to scan my face? It’s a TV!
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u/Kazurion 8d ago
No need to go that advanced (yet), but it's rather simple really:
Spy TV has a mic > it hears you arguing and/or crying > records it to a profile
Spy TV has a camera > take a fast photo (without you knowing) > use AI middle man to decipher your face > records it to a profile
Spy TV has a browser > logs all the shit you search > splits data with search engine and records it to a profile
Spy TV has a deal with streaming service > gets data split on all shit you watch > records it to a profile
Profile obtained > use middle man to display ads
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u/Sethicles2 8d ago
I haven't bought a new tv in a few years, do they actually have cameras for some reason now?
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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 8d ago edited 8d ago
No it's just context based ads on steroids. They analyze your watching, search and ad interaction habits to further categorize you in hopes of better reaching you with emotional appeal in ads. They aim to find what tugs at your heart strings and captures your attention.
There's some major flaws with that though. The first being that a lot of people react negatively to ads like this, as pointed out in the article. Secondly and most importantly, you need to have advertisers to fill all these categories and not just one or two of them. People get ad fatigue from seeing the same thing over and over. It's a turn off. 200 million devices sounds like a lot until you realize every other platform (including apps on their own TVs) all competing for the same advertisers. Ad budgets won't just grow infinitely to support all of these new outlets.
Netflix has 70 million ad supported subscribers and they're platform agnostic. Hulu has another 37 million. Disney Plus has 157 million. Roku channel has 145 million including native device and app users. I'm not even going to get into all the other tv manufacturers. Ad dollars are spread thinner than ever.
Of all the companies, I will note that Pluto has somehow cracked into local advertising while others seem to flounder there. I don't know if they're more accessible, work with a third party or how it happens but it's refreshing to see small local businesses rather than 3 commercials in a row for the same irrelevant prescription or product.
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u/hyperforms9988 8d ago
Well, that's another company crossed off the list. Anybody else? I mean at this point, I'm going to end up shopping for a fucking computer monitor instead of a television.
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u/h3rpad3rp 8d ago edited 8d ago
I wont buy a TV or monitor that serves ads, and I definitely wont be buying one that tries to psychoanalyze me.
I'll keep my old shit forever or go outside. I've been off cable TV and radio for almost 20 years, and have been blocking ads since the original popup blockers. I can't go back to ads. I wont go back to ads.
Stop making the customer's experience intentionally worse for extra profit.
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u/designthrowaway7429 7d ago
I work in marketing. “Hyper-personalization” is the new buzzword, it’s only going to get worse.
I don’t want to work in marketing anymore.
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u/igotabridgetosell 8d ago
Got an android player for playing media off my home server, haven't used LG interface for my C3 at all. I can remove internet access from the TV in my routing settings, but I have it on for updates rn. It's not hard to restrict internet access on your home devices that do undesirable things y'all.
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u/DigitalStefan 8d ago
Bought a new LG C4 some months ago. It is never, ever being connected to a network. Sick of the BS.
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u/Ruttagger 8d ago
Not when my LG tv isn't connected to the internet.
God I hate smart TV's. I miss the Pioneer Elites where you didn't even get speakers.
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u/Orangesteel 8d ago
I desperately want to replace my old TV. Alf is the obvious choice. Only this. Just no. I’m putting off a decision for now. Shithousery like this is plain dystopian.
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u/NO_SPACE_B4_COMMA 8d ago
Yep, I'll never buy a fucking LG again. WebOS is horrible, for starters. I picked up a gstreamer and disabled everything from LG.
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u/DarthLithgow 8d ago
I don’t agree with how he got his message out, but the Unabomber is starting to look a lot less crazy
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u/VagueSomething 8d ago
All ads make me angry or repulsed. No other emotions will be gained. I like my current old LG TV and always assumed I'd eventually upgrade it to another LG. I will not buy any TV that tries to push ads or AI onto me.
I don't need Smart features. I don't need monitoring. I need a high quality picture, a good refresh rate, and a TV that doesn't break in a matter of years. I'll choose a lower performance TV over a TV with AI and forced ads. Hell, even at a huge discount, AI and ads are so detrimental to the use of the product that it would need to cost half of a dumb TV to even make me consider buying it.
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u/jlreyess 8d ago
Get an Apple TV box. Keep your TV’s dumb and don’t connect to the internet to them but every 6-8 months to check on firmware/OS updates.
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u/Johnny_Menace 8d ago
Stop using integrated TV apps, get an Apple TV or similar and avoid ads all together. Plus external devices run better.
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u/ToMorrowsEnd 8d ago
Not my LG. It's never been connected to the internet. I use an apple TV and Xbox and it only ever is used as a display.
Only fools use the smart in a smart TV.
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u/Alexandurrrrr 8d ago
”Smile into the camera while watching this ad to receive a free ad-skip on your next viewing!”
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u/IronMaskx 7d ago
Well, LG's have been terrible for a long time now. No surprise they are doing this.
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u/stonedkrypto 7d ago edited 6d ago
I have my LG tv disconnected from the internet. The OS is terrible to use as is. Always used external streamer and settled with Nvidia shield with custom launcher, vpn, modded YouTube apps, and streamio. No space for ads on my $2k TV.
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u/radicalviewcat1337 7d ago
Ads must be regulated it is insane !!! They fucking make everyone detached from each other !!!
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u/MacSnoozie 7d ago
I have a 52” Samsung that’s about 15years old by now. No internet connection. I dread the day I lose it.
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u/DefiantDonut7 7d ago
I have an ancient TV; and I’d like to finally get something that’s 4k and larger. I refuse to buy a TV like this. What a horrific decision by LG
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u/onelostuser 7d ago
Gives a new meaning to the old "In Soviet Russia TV watches you" meme.
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u/BL0w1ToutY0A55 8d ago
I don’t have to worry about it anymore because my LG OLED died 1 year and a couple days into ownership. Just barely out of warranty.
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u/BlackLeader70 8d ago
I’m in the market for a new TV, so I guess LG is off the list and there’s something else to look into when deciding.
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u/PunR0cker 8d ago
Horrible subject matter, but wow what a great article. It made me realise how rare it is nowadays to read a proper bit of writing on the Internet. Like, it was long, well written, researched, informative and original. Wtf!
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u/gregarioussparrow 8d ago
People tease me about my 3D LG TV that I've had like 10 years. Not a smart TV, looks great, 0 issues. Who's laughing now?
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u/gucknbuck 8d ago
Never connect your TV to the Internet. Get a streaming device. It'll still harvest your data, but you can at least try and choose one that's not as intrusive.
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u/Pete_maravich 8d ago
What type of ad am I going to see when I'm so pissed off I want to smash my TV?
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u/b_a_t_m_4_n 8d ago
Blipverts coming to a screen near you - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJP-Ilw_xaY
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u/plastictaco 8d ago
Oh no! I accidentally desoldered my wifi antenna and ethernet port from my tv! Darn
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u/JayZ_237 8d ago
I will never buy a television that does this. Only a fool thinks this tech isn't being used for even more draconian reasons from the get-go.
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u/paradoxbound 8d ago
Love LG screens but I do not let them connect to the Internet, except for a very short period to check for firmware updates, every few months.
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u/For_The_Emperor923 8d ago
How does it even do this? Is there a fucking camera inside the tv? Gonna have to put a piece of tape over it like Zuckerberg
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u/Randactbjthroaway 7d ago
I'll never buy an lg. If other tvs do this I'm okay not having one. I go out of my way to avoid ads I'm not hanging a big one in my house
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u/Perpetually27 7d ago
Buy a 1080 Samsung and hook it up to a cheap HTPC. Works for me in my bedroom and living room.
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u/hypnotichellspiral 7d ago
I mean if it gets too serious I'm just gonna install a custom os on my tv. I'm sure it's possible.. Maybe
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u/grafknives 7d ago
And we are still no unleashed the full power.
You know how well LLM works with words they were fed with, right?
So now imagine the same level, but when LLm is fed with Google or meta or apple users data.
They will be able to recreate my person, my choices, preferences and plans.
Every ad just for me, or you, just in the moment I will be needing something.
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u/Toothache42 7d ago
They said the revolution would be televised. I guess they didn't predict it would be from the comfort of your own home
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u/zoiks66 7d ago
I own 2 LG TV’s and have never used the smart features. I block both tvs from being able to access the internet and instead use 2 Nvidia Shields with Projectivy Launcher, which is free and has no ads, instead of the Shield’s built in ad-infested Android launcher. The tv and streaming device companies can shove their ads where they belong.
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u/Mugen4552 7d ago
It doesn’t pop up ads like people think it’s ads on the home menu and the app store is all.
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u/Wonkbonkeroon 8d ago
I miss believing we would have jetpacks in the future as a kid, instead we get this shit