A researcher claims Samsung TVs use connected devices with mics to listen in on you

Published Oct 27, 2026, 11:24 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary A researcher claims that Samsung TVs without mics access connected devices' mics and ship audio to Bixby. Evidence is anecdotal from one researcher; Samsung hasn't confirmed, and proof of exfiltration is lacking. If true, expect more reverse-engineering reports; meanwhile, treat claims with skepticism and await Samsung's comment. It seems people have been tinkering with their smart TVs a lot lately. Over the past few days, we've seen people using Claude Code to remove ads and add new home screens. Now, someone has gone a little bit further and claims they've discovered proof that Samsung TVs that don't have a microphone will instead try to connect to one that does to listen to you. This claim comes entirely from anecdotal evidence from a researcher and has not been officially confirmed or recognised. Take everything stated here with a pinch of salt and with a good level of personal judgement. Samsung TVs connect to devices with microphones to listen in, claims researcher But is there a more benign reason behind the tech? The story begins on log4j's X account, when they noticed that a Samsung TV was showing strangely apt ads for them. So, they used ChatGPT to reverse-engineer the operating system, gain root access, and take a look into what's going on, and they claim they discovered something worrying. In a separate X post, they claimed that, from what they saw in the telemetry and service definitions, a Samsung TV can collect audio data even if it doesn't have a microphone. It achieves this by looking for connected devices that have one and using their microphones instead. The voice data "then gets shipped off to Bixby." About four and a half hours after that post, log4j claims they got banned from ChatGPT. An email screenshot shared by log4j shows that OpenAI accused them of using the service for "cyber abuse" and that they had lost their account for good. So, what does this mean for privacy? Well, it's important to note that all these claims come from a single researcher and should be taken with a generous pinch of salt. This is especially true given how Samsung does advertise smart home ambient alerts on their TVs as a feature, which it claims is done on-device. For instance, TechRadar notes that, while log4j claims that the TV uses event counters and sensors to look for the sounds of babies crying and dogs barking, Samsung has advertised these features as part of Family Care and Pet Care, respectively. Plus, it points out that, while it did see proof of using connected devices' microphones, there wasn't enough to properly claim that Samsung sent that data home. However, if it turns out to be true, we may see more reports in the future as people reverse-engineer their devices to see how they tick. We've reached out to Samsung for comment on the matter.