There are countless features that smart TVs advertise as a way to improve your home entertainment experience. There are software enhancements and art galleries, gaming suites and audio upgrades. Some are useful and worthy, while others are superfluous and even inconvenient. Among those in the latter category are so-called smart virtual assistants.

Advertised as a way to make searching for titles and controlling your TV easier, virtual assistants cause more harm than good. Here’s what you need to know and why you shouldn’t use them.

Voice searches invade privacy

Devices are listening and tracking behavoir

Perhaps the biggest reason to avoid using smart assistants on your TV is that those voice searches are not at all private. It’s something that I think everyone innately understands. Whatever voice assistant you’re using, on whatever device, it’s listening, and your privacy is compromised.

That’s because in order to actually use the virtual assistant, the microphone needs to be on. It needs to be on because it’s waiting for its “wake” word in order to activate. It’s sort of a confusing proposition to buy into; companies claim their smart helpers aren’t listening, but instead only waiting for a specific word to start listening. But in order to hear that word, they have to be listening. It’s absurd.

And because these assistants aren’t perfect, there is always the risk of accidental activation. Whether it hears something mistakenly, or it picks up on a background conversation that triggers the feature that wasn’t meant to, these devices can turn on when you don’t mean for them either. And when they turn on, they start recording. That’s another problem.

Voice searches will store your data

Viewing habits create a personal profile

Every time you use your smart TV, the device is collecting data. Some tracking can be turned off or altered, but the general goal of a TV and all the apps it uses is to figure out who you are through what you like to watch and how you use the TV, and then sell you items related to what you like. Settings like Automatic Content Recognition will track what’s on your screen. It will follow what you watch, how long you watch it for, and what you choose to skip. It detects sound, runs that audio through a database, and figures out what you like.

When it has enough data, it can start to develop a profile of you. Because it can start to figure out who you are if you’re someone who watches a lot of Yellowstone and Paramount + shows versus someone who watches Hacks and Heated Rivalry.

Voice searches also help paint a picture of who you are. Your requests in totality across voice search and associated apps and services lead to curated recommendations. These recommendations may be helpful, and indeed are advertised as a positive part of your scrolling experience. However, these recommendations aren’t necessarily accurate and not always objective. You’ll still be shown titles that services want you to watch as opposed to ones you’ll necessarily enjoy.

The searches you make also support the system on the other end. Every time you use the feature, the system is being trained and hoping to improve. Which means, in addition to tracking your data and building a profile, you’re also helping it become smarter. You’re teaching it and not even getting any compensation out of it.

Voice search depends on app availability

Not every service and platform are in agreement

Aside from all the privacy and data concerns, there is also the fact that not all voice searches are created equally, and some are far worse than others. Voice search accuracy and scope depends on a number of factors, including which service has a connection with which other service.

Despite throwing around phrases like “universal search,” not every search is really finding every place you can stream, rent, or buy a title. Your smart assistant can only find options within services and platforms that support a universal search function. It’s similar to the popular Save Lists that exist across operating systems. The reason why it’s often easier to have a save list within each service individually, or on an outside app entirely, is that not every platform works well with every operating system.

So, with a universal search feature, you may not be getting every hit that you want. While Netflix and Disney+ and other major platforms typically accommodate universal search, some smaller ones don’t, and these are where you may find free titles. Certain apps like Kanopy and Hoopla, whcih sacrifice quality design and navigation so that the price is low for the consumer, may have titles that don’t show up in searches.

It’s the same for niche apps too, especially apps that have titles primarily in another language. It’s hard to imagine that every universal search is going to have KOCOWA+ on its roster or Viaplay Select. As more users enjoy titles from around the world, the universal search needs desperately to live up to its name, and it absolutely does not. You just can’t guarantee you’re going to get all the information you need, which means the search is just a waste of time.

And when you do get hits, they may not be sorted in a way that is most practical. Searches tend to include rental and purchase options, which for some consumers is out of the question, especially for those who already pay a lot for monthly subscriptions. You may get some options promoted by certain services over others. And even with Netflix and other big players, while they may be compatible with universal search functions, they don’t have the interest for it to be successful; apps don’t want you to leave so they’d rather you search from within.

There are more convenient ways to set up your entertainment.

Consider a proper watch list and enable privacy settings

If you really want to find ways to make your home entertainment experience more seamless and convenient, there are better alternatives to voice searches.

To start, there is really no ideal way to track all the shows and movies you want to watch from within your TV ecosystem. Save lists, as mentioned, are subject to app and platform compatibility. As a result, you’re going to struggle to find one that is comprehensive enough as part of your TV ecosystem. You’re better served using an outside app; I prefer JustWatch, but there are many mobile apps that make organizing and tracking everything you’ve watched and want to watch easy. Even a Google Doc is better than using an OS.

It’s worth being organized before you start searching through your TV. With so many shows and movies available across so many services, you’re bound to end up scrolling endlessly looking for something to watch, which is exactly what the services want you to do. They want you to stay on their platform as long as possible and end up starting something, whether it’s out of genuine interest or simply giving up on searching.

In terms of privacy, it’s also worth making sure every security setting is checked on your TV. Turn off ACR, disable any interest-based advertisements, and get rid of any videos that start automatically and banners that may be on your home page. You don’t need your TV to recommend you any titles; each individual app is going to do that anyway. You’ll be better off without its help. And you certainly don’t need any virtual assistants, either.