(3 Fixes) My Smart TV Is Talking To Me [Updated 2023]

No. You’re not hallucinating.

Your smart TV really is talking to you.

Quite impressive, right?

However, I know some may actually find it annoying…

Or even downright creepy.

And if that’s how you’re feeling…

Let me guide you on how to silence your TV’s voice guide quickly.

Continue reading to find out:

The actual purpose of voice guide on smart TVs.
3 simple ways to stop your smart TV from talking.
The different kinds of voice features on TVs and how to turn them off.
And a lot more…

Why is my Smart TV talking to me?

Your smart TV is talking to you because its voice guide feature is on. You’ll find this feature on most smart TVs. As well as on apps like Netflix. And this feature is for the benefit of visually-impaired users. But if you’d rather not use it, you may turn it off through your TV or app’s settings.

How do I stop my Smart TV from talking? 3 ways to fix it

#1: Disable your smart TV’s voice guide via Settings

Most, if not all, smart TVs today have a voice guide feature.

Although they differ in how they call it.

For instance, Samsung TV calls it Voice Guide. While on LG TVs, it’s called Audio Guidance.

This feature goes by the name Talk Back on Vizio and Android TV. And you’ll find it as Audio Guide on Roku TVs, regardless of the manufacturer.

And while this feature’s off by default…

You or someone from your household may have simply switched it on. And that’s why you’re now hearing your TV read every menu item you highlight.

Now, some people simply resort to muting their TV while navigating the menu. Which is a fine solution.

However, it can be annoying having to mute and unmute at all times.

Therefore, it’s best to just switch this feature off through the Settings menu.

Don’t worry. I’ll provide a step-by-step guide for some of the most popular smart TV brands.

How to disable Voice Guide on a Samsung TV

Press the Home button on your remote.
Scroll down and select Settings.
Click General.
Select Accessibility.
Look for Voice Guide Settings and select it.
Highlight Voice Guide and toggle it off.

Note: Does your Samsung TV remote have a microphone button? If so, you may also switch off Voice Guide by pressing that button. And then saying, “Turn off Voice Guide.”

How to disable Audio Guidance on an LG TV

Press the Settings button on your remote. The one with the gear icon.
Scroll to the bottom and select All Settings.
Navigate to Accessibility and click it.
Highlight Audio Guidance and select Off.

How to disable Talk Balk on a Vizio TV

Click the Menu button on your Vizio remote.
Select System.
Scroll down and select Accessibility.
Select Talk Balk and click the Off option.

How to disable Talk Balk on an Android TV

Click your remote’s Home button.
Scroll up and click the Settings icon.
Select Device Preferences.
Scroll to the bottom and select Accessibility.
Select Talk Back and switch it off.

How to disable Audio Guide on a Roku TV

Press Home on your remote.
Select Settings.
Look for Accessibility and click it.
Select Audio Guide and click Off.

Note: Want a faster way to disable Audio Guide? Just press the Options button on your remote 4 consecutive times.

Now, the guides above should cover many brands. Especially when you consider that several TV makers are using either the Android or Roku OS.

However, if I wasn’t able to include your TV brand, fret not.

If you go through all the guides above, you’ll notice one thing…

Regardless of the brand, the voice guide feature always falls under Accessibility.

So look for that particular menu item. And you’ll likely find your TV’s voice guide settings.

#2: Turn off Audio Description on your TV and apps

As I mentioned, voice guides are all about your TV reading the highlighted menu items.

But there’s another voice feature that you’re likely hearing as well.

And that’s the Audio Description. Present in smart TVs like Samsung and LG. And in streaming services such as:

Netflix.
HBO Max.
Prime Video.

“What’s the difference between voice guide and audio description?”

Well, the audio description’s all about narrating what’s happening on the screen.

Want an example?

Check out this clip of Netflix’s audio description trying to describe the 20th Century Fox logo:

And as with voice guides, audio description is also for the benefit of those with vision problems.

But you’d also need to turn it off to stop your TV from talking to you.

How to turn off Audio Description on a Samsung TV

Click the Home button on your remote.
Go to Settings.
Select General.
Navigate to Accessibility and click it.
Highlight Audio Description and toggle it off.

Note: Another way to turn this feature off is by pressing the AD SUBT button on your remote. A window will pop up when you click it. From there, select Audio Description and turn it off.

How to turn off Audio Description on an LG TV

Press the Settings button on your remote.
Select All Settings.
Select Accessibility.
Highlight Audio Description and switch it off.

Now, even after switching off Audio Description on your TV…

It’s still possible to hear it on certain apps. So you’ll need to switch it off from there as well.

I’ll provide the steps for 3 of the most popular streaming services. But these should also be similar to other apps.

How to turn off Audio Description on Netflix

Launch the Netflix app on your TV.
Select a video but don’t play it yet.
Scroll down and select Audio and Subtitles.
Go to the Audio section.
Choose any language that doesn’t have the Audio Description tag.

How to turn off Audio Description on Prime Video

Open Prime Video on your smart TV.
Pick a video to watch.
Click the Watch now option.
Click the Subtitles and Audio icon.
Under Audio, choose a language with no Audio Description label.

How to turn off Audio Description on HBO Max

Launch the HBO Max app on your TV.
Play a video and then hit pause.
Press the up arrow on the remote to select the speech bubble icon.
On the Audio tab, select anything without Audio Description.

“What if I’m still hearing audio descriptions on the app?”

Well, don’t worry. It happens. Sometimes the audio description won’t go away immediately. And it’s likely due to a glitch in the app.

So how do you fix it?

First, try to close the app. Restart your TV. Then relaunch the app.

And if the audio description still won’t go away…

You’ll have to delete and then reinstall the app.

#3: Switch off your smart TV’s voice assistant

In addition to voice guide and audio description…

You’re also likely hearing from your TV’s built-in voice assistant.

And some smart TVs today have that.

For example, Samsung TV has Bixby.

On the other hand, LG and Android have Google Assistant. Which, while great, can also be glitchy at times. And would sometimes pop up even without anyone calling it.

So if you really don’t want your TV talking to you…

You’re also going to have to switch off its voice assistant.

How to switch off Bixby on a Samsung TV

Click your Samsung remote’s Home button.
Select Settings.
Select General.
Select Bixby Voice Settings.
Highlight Voice wake-up and switch it off.

How to switch off Google Assistant on an LG TV

Press your LG remote’s Settings button.
Click All Settings.
Select General.
Click the General Settings option.
Highlight AI Service and toggle it off.

How to switch off Google Assistant on an Android TV

Press the Home button on your remote.
Select Settings.
Go to Device Preferences and click it.
Select Google.
Highlight OK Google detection and disable it.

Now, if you’ve previously integrated Alexa into your smart TV but no longer want it…

You’ll have to remove your smart TV from the Alexa app.

How to remove a smart TV from the Alexa app

Launch the Alexa app on your phone.
Select Devices.
Click the All Devices option.
Look for your smart TV and click Settings.
Select Trash.

Bonus: Update your TV’s firmware

So is your TV still talking to you?

Even after switching off the voice guide and audio description in the settings?

If so, it’s likely because there’s a problem with your TV’s software.

It may very well be outdated. And a TV OS that’s out of date is much more prone to bugs and glitches.

So you should install the latest updates as soon as you can.

How to update a Samsung TV

From the home screen, navigate to Settings and click it.
Select Support.
Scroll down and select Software Update.
Click the Update Now option.

How to update an LG TV

Click your remote’s Settings button.
Select All Settings.
Select General.
Click the About this TV option.
Select Check for Updates.
If there are updates, click Download and Install.

How to update a Vizio TV

Select the V button on your remote.
Scroll down and select System.
Click Check for Updates.
Wait for the TV to download and install updates.

How to update an Android TV

Press your remote’s Home button.
Click the Apps icon.
Navigate to Help and click it.
Click System Software Update.
Select Software Update.

How to update a Roku TV

Click your Roku remote’s Home button.
Navigate to Settings and select it.
Click System.
Select System update.
Select Check now.
Allow your TV to download and install updates.

What is the purpose of the voice guide on a Smart TV?

The purpose of the voice guide on a smart TV is to assist visually-impaired viewers. Some viewers are near-sighted. Where they’d struggle to read the TV menu’s relatively small fonts. While others may have dyslexia. Or other similar reading-related disabilities.

The voice guide, therefore, is a way to help those people navigate the TV menu. Even with their visual handicap.

So while this feature can be annoying to some…

TV manufacturers actually created it with the noblest intent. And you can easily switch it off through your TV’s settings menu. You’ll find it under Accessibility on most TV brands.