Where is the Camera Hidden on a Smart TV?

Many smart TVs have a camera you can use for many purposes. Unlike with mobile phones, it is sometimes not easy to pinpoint exactly where the camera of a smart TV is because of how big they are compared to phones.

Most Smart TVs have their camera in one of the corners of the screen. Look out for the small circle that makes the lens of the camera on the upper corners of the screen.

However, not all Smart TVs with cameras have it in the corner of the screen. The presence of a camera on your TV can lead to some privacy concerns, and this will be further discussed in this piece.

Location of Smart TV Cameras

Every smart TV has a bezel that surrounds the screen as protection. While it might be a stretch to say that the camera is hidden, it often is so. Maybe it is to protect the camera lens from possible damage that could come from exposure or some other reason. One often has to look carefully before seeing the camera on most smart TVs.

This bezel often features things like the brand tag and other things added to the TV. The camera can often be found on the bezel on one of the top corners of the screen. For other TVs, the camera is right in the center of the bezel on top of the screen.

This location is the most convenient for the use of the camera; any other part of the TV could make it stressful if you want to use the TV for, say, a video call. The camera being side or back of the TV would be very awkward whenever you wanted to use it.

We made a quick video to tell you how to find the camera on your smart TV if there is one, as well as a super sneaky way your smart TV could be spying on you:

Why Camera on TV?

This is a question many people ask, as we are all used to the camera-less TVs. After all, the main purpose of a camera is to take pictures, and it is highly unlikely that one will take pictures with a TV camera.

However, there are certain benefits of having a TV that has a camera built-in. These include a facial recognition feature and the ability to allow you to make video calls on it.

Privacy Concerns of Cameras on TVs

Just as with mobile phones and computers, there are privacy concerns with having a camera on your TV. There is something uncomfortable about the possibility that your TV peeps into your home day by day. Prominent smart TV makers, including Samsung and LG, have been criticized in the past for the seemingly invading features of the camera and microphone-enabled smart TVs. Also, malicious actors could hack into the TV to access its camera.

It doesn’t matter whether the TV is peeping on them for some people. After all, they use mobile devices that could as well do the same. However, most people are uncomfortable with the notion of their activities, both offline and online, being tracked by these industrial behemoths.

Luckily, there are ways to cut back the privacy concerns that come with these cameras. You can disallow the TV from tracking your online activities and stop the camera from accessing daily happenings in your home.

Turning off Ad Tracking and the TV’s Camera

To disallow the TV from tracking your online activities, you can disable it in the settings. All smart TVs differ in how you can do this, but the general concept remains.

• Go to Settings and look for Privacy
• Under privacy, look for Ad tracking or advertising and turn it off.
• Go back to Settings
• Go to Accessibility

Here you can disable the camera from functioning and enable it back when needed.

Other Options

If you are still not comfortable with even the slight possibility that the TV would be monitoring your home, do one of the following:

• Tape over the camera whenever it’s not in use. This ensures that there are no privacy concerns in its downtime.
• Get a smart TV with retractable cameras. Some smart TVs have a feature that allows you to retract the camera when it’s not in use. This will allow you to bring out the camera only when needed.
• Do not connect the TV to the internet. If the TV isn’t connected to the internet, you have nothing to worry about as regards spying. However, this is undesirable as you would be underusing the television.

Alternatively, you could eschew the camera altogether and get a TV that doesn’t have a camera at all. Of course, this tradeoff will depend on whether you need the camera on your TV or not. Also, always ensure that your TV is up to date to reduce its vulnerability to hackers.

Conclusion

Many Smart TVs these days have a camera you can use for different uses. Because of how big TV screens can be, it can often be difficult to know where the camera is on the TV. As seen previously, most smart TVs have their camera in one of the top corners of the screen.