Like many TVs these days, mine has a microphone built in. I have a Fire TV Omni QLED in a spare bedroom, and there’s a small toggle on the bottom of it that turns my microphone on and off. When I first got the TV, I had many reservations about leaving the microphone off. I didn’t want it listening in and possibly becoming active when I’m watching something. Over the course of a few weeks, I decided to stop turning off the microphone and just leave it on.
That might be alarming to hear for privacy reasons, but I decided to take the risk. After spending almost a year now with the microphone always on, I can’t imagine turning it off. The only time I turn it off is when I leave the room because I don’t want to accidentally activate it and turn on my TV and receiver when I’m not in the room. I don’t know what the chances of that happening are, but I’d rather not take the risk at all.
In all that time leaving my mic on, I’ve used voice controls for far more than I ever thought I would. I switch my TV’s HDMI input, I open apps, I turn the TV on and off, and I even ask some questions here and there. Yes, all of this is possible using a voice remote, but I like not having to pick anything up.
I don’t turn my microphone off anymore
It was scary at first
What I realized very quickly is that I don’t typically talk when I’m watching something. It also helps that this TV is in a spare bedroom where I have to make a deliberate choice to watch something in there. The only seating is a small love seat, so it’s not like I’d ever have a lot of people in the room, and that drastically cuts down on the number of triggers for the TV. When I’m in there just playing Xbox Series S or watching a movie, there’s not a lot that can go wrong.
I still find that the TV doesn’t typically pick up regular chatter, even if I say Alexa in the sentence for whatever reason. It’s also easy enough for me to turn off the microphone for a few seconds if I need to, since it’s just a few feet away from where I’m sitting. I understand that privacy is a huge concern for a lot of people, but sadly, it’s a battle I’ve given up on a while ago. My phone has a mic, my TVs have them, my smart hubs have them, and my devices are all tracking me. My information is available in so many forms, so I just figure what’s another device listening in on me going to do? That’s likely not an ideal way to look at things, but that’s where I’m at.
For me, the pros far outweigh the cons, and I love that I can do a lot with my TV without having to reach for a remote. I look forward to using fewer devices than more in the future, and this is a great start. I usually pair my TVs with streaming sticks or boxes, but I don’t have anything plugged into this one. At least for right now, the voice controls are more than enough for me to navigate through the TV’s settings and get to where I need to go. I know from prior experience that smart TVs tend to become sluggish over time, so when the time comes for me to add a Fire Stick to this TV, I’ll be ready.
It’s not for everybody, so don’t feel pressured
You don’t have to do this
What’s right for me isn’t always right for you. I know a lot of people don’t want to have something listening in on them all the time, and that’s fine. It’s a very fair concern to have, and if you aren’t going to use the voice controls, there’s no reason to have the microphone on all the time. I just think using the microphone saves a lot of time, even if you aren’t using it to ask questions all the time. It’s nice being able to go into a room and turn on the TV all before I sit down and grab anything.
Yes, this is about saving a few seconds, but I’m all about shaving time off my everyday tasks. Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend people go out and buy a TV just for this, but if it’s something that you get with the purchase, by all means go for it. My Fire TV just now got Alexa+ for free, so the voice controls have gotten even better. I’ve had Alexa+ the whole time, but the fact that it’s free now means even more people get to experience the benefits.
