LG Electronics is bringing the latest version of webOS to older TVs from 2022, 2023 and 2024, as part of its Re:New program announced last year, which guarantees each new television it sells will receive at least four software upgrades over the course of its lifetime.
The rollout is on schedule, as LG had promised earlier this year that it would deliver webOS 25 to the older TVs sometime between the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of the next.
The update is the second received by these TVs, after LG upgraded them to the webOS 24 platform last year. The Re:New program is a pretty big deal for LG TV owners, as the company never used to bother with upgrading any of its TVs, forcing consumers to buy a newer model if they wanted to get their hands on the latest software.
Samsung Electronics has instituted a similar policy, promising it will upgrade the Tizen OS on its TVs regularly for at least seven years.
It should be noted that the older TV owners are a bit late to the party, for webOS 25 first launched in May when LG started shipping its 2025 OLED and QNED TVs, including the flagship LG G5, with the latest software pre-installed, but better late than never.
LG told FlatpanelsHD that webOS 24 is coming to every single one of its 2023 and 2024 models, including its OLED and QNED lines. But only a select few 2022 TVs will get it – all of the OLED models, plus the 8K QNED LCD model from that year. The OLED TVs will receive the update first, with the QNED models set to receive their upgrades in the coming weeks.
The update will also come to some of LG’s quirkier TVs, including the LG StandbyME TV on a flagpole and the StanbyME Go, which is packed into a briefcase for those who want to watch TV on their travels. However, with OLED getting priority treatment, then QNED, those models may have to wait until early next year.
The software will be delivered via firmware version 33.21.85, or the newer 33.22.15 update, which has some additional bug fixes. It’s a phased rollout, so some regions may receive it before others, but when it’s available it should pop up automatically in a notification. Failing that, users can always check their local LG support website and download the firmware manually on a USB drive.
Whether or not users will get excited about the update is another matter. WebOS 25 is not a major upgrade of the operating system, but it does have some nice new features, such as giving users the ability to hide some of the TV’s pre-installed apps. That could be useful for those who get annoyed seeing apps they never ever use. The update also tweaks the “recent input” icon on the webOS homescreen, so it only switches when it’s clicked, instead of when the user hovers over it.
Other new features include support for 1440p/120Hz gaming, which should enable smoother Nintendo Switch 2 gaming, and a new AI Sound Mode that helps to optimise the audio output to try and make it more immersive. This is done by analysing the audio and adjusting the sound settings to suit, and according to the company it can help to enhance balance and clarity.
Users may also appreciate the new AI art feature, which allows users to create their own screensavers with natural language prompts, just as they do with any AI image generator. They can also upload their own images and use AI to adapt them. However, this feature is not available in every region.
