Tips and advice

Everything you need to know about LG WebOS 5.0: tips and recommendations

WebOS 5.0
WebOS 5.0: tips and recommendations, Installation & Upgrade, Casting, AI Recommendations & The Magic Remote.
4.5/5 - (553 votes)

WebOS has been the standard smart TV platform for LG televisions since 2013. Almost every year improvements and / or new features are introduced. WebOS 5.0 is the version that you will find on the 2020 models. The interface has become a bit sleeker and less colorful, but retains its dexterity.

WebOS 5.0 – Upgrading & Updating

Unfortunately, WebOS 5.0 is only for 2020 devices. LG never brings new versions to older devices, a practice that we regret. Some new feature can sometimes be brought to older versions, but that is also rather rare. Upgrading your old device is therefore not possible.

Smart TVs receive regular software updates. On the models with WebOS 5.0 you will find this in the menu under the heading “Support, Software update”. You will also immediately see which firmware version you are currently using. If you would like to know which WebOS version your device is using, please look under ‘Support, TV information’.

Our guide is based on a LG OLED65CX6LA

WebOS 5.0 – Installation

Bean Bird was the playful mascot of WebOS from day one, but has been retired since this version. The installation procedure now looks a bit tighter, but it has not become more difficult. First you select language and country. Leave the “Use this TV as a shop mode” option turned off, that setting is for promotional purposes only. Then connect it to the home network and other source devices.

In the following steps, you accept the terms of use. Then the TV tries to identify the connected devices and determine how you watch television (via the TV’s tuners and / or via a decoder). Then you set a pin code.

If you use the internal tuners to watch TV you have to tune in the channels. The TV itself provides the necessary settings.

If you use a decoder, you can set the Magic remote as a universal remote for the decoder. You can also do this later via the menus. The TV also asks you to activate AI image Pro and AI sound Pro. You can also do this later via the menus.

WebOS 5.0- Home Screen

LG’s Home screen was quite revolutionary when it was introduced a few years ago, and it is still one of the most user-friendly systems on the market. . All of the television’s resources and functions are available via large tiles in a ribbon at the bottom of the picture.

In WebOS 4.5, the Home screen was considerably simplified, but nothing has changed this year. The quickest way to access inputs and settings is via the corresponding button on the remote.

The ribbon

The ribbon at the bottom of the Home screen is where you can actually find all your content. The second, contextual ribbon (LG calls it AI Preview) appears as soon as you select certain tiles. It is a very convenient way to quickly view certain things, select recent apps, or choose connected devices.

Moving your cursor to the second ribbon makes it bigger and you can do things Selecting. Like below for example the player connected to HDMI2.

The first tile on the left (webOS) can contain ads, you can hide it by checking a setting (see below how).

The following Tile contains four functions: the search function, the Home dashboard (see below), the TV function, and your recent applications. Depending on your choice during installation, the TV function will send you to the built-in tuners or to your connected set-top box. All these functions offer AI Preview via the second ribbon (with TV this is only if you use the built-in tuners).

The tile next to it contains all your recently used applications, this tile also offers AI Preview

The ribbon also contains the icons for all your smart TV apps, with the first tile from the LG App store, and the built-in TV functions (such as the media player) at the back.

Organizing

Of course you want to adjust the Home screen as much as possible based on what you use yourself. This can be done in two ways. Either you arrange the tiles at your own discretion. Select a tile, and long press the scroll wheel. You will then enter edit mode and can move the tile. After pressing the ok button, the tile will fall into place and you will see an “x” above the tile. Press the up arrow and then ok if you want to remove the tile from the ribbon.

The “intelligent editing” option ranks the apps in order from most to least used. You can adjust the screen in a few clicks, but that will of course only make sense for the first time if you have used the TV for a few days or more.

It is now also possible to add YouTube channels add to the ribbon. In Edit mode, select the Add YouTube Channel option and search for your favorite channels by name.

Then simply drop the tile anywhere in the ribbon.

WebOS 5.0 – The Home Dashboard

Everything you connect externally to the television can be found in the Home Dashboard. You will find all external inputs, but also media servers (DLNA) that are on your network and connected USB sticks. On the left you will find shortcuts to the manual to connect devices, Airplay, and the option to play your smartphone audio via Bluetooth on the TV (Sound Share). If you use the LG TV Plus (or LG ThinQ) app, your smartphone will also appear here.

The Picture in Picture function is new, as is the option to adjust the sound output. The Home Dashboard also includes a section for IoT devices on the right. In addition to LG’s own ThinQ devices, you can also add devices that use the Open Connectivity Foundation.

With the red button you can create routines, for example to automatically open the shutters in the morning and the heating to start. That kind of automation only works with connected IoT devices, not with your other AV equipment.

With the green button you can change the name of the external inputs and which icon they use.

WebOS 5.0 – The Magic Remote

LG’s Magic Remote deserves some attention as it is an essential way of operating WebOS. The remote got the adjective Magic because you control the cursor on the screen with it just by pointing at it. That may take some practice, but it gets used quickly and is very useful in many cases.

You don’t have to make grand gestures to control the cursor. We usually just rest our hand with the remote on our leg and make small movements with the wrist. This way you keep your hand (and the cursor) stable. The ok button in the center of the d-pad doubles as a scroll wheel. This allows you to quickly scroll through the Home ribbon, for example, or through TV channels. If you have to quickly walk through many options in any part of the TV, make sure that the scroll wheel works.

Universal remote function

The Magic Remote can also be used as a universal remote for the connected source devices. You can do this via the general menu, “Connection, Device connection settings, Settings for the universal remote control”. Or you can select it in the ribbon at the bottom, select the Home Dashboard tile, then activate the ribbon at the top and click the arrow above the HDMI connector you want to configure.

In a few steps, select the type of connected device, the brand, and then you get some tests to find out which ir commands work. The Magic Remote has a Play and Pause button at the bottom, but for other functions, you will often use the ‘More Actions’ button (to the right of the ‘0’, labeled three dots), which calls up a menu of possible actions. . The menu depends on the connected device.

WebOS 5.0 – Useful apps

In the LG content store you will find a wide range of applications. At the top you can choose to see LG’s recommendations or to browse all apps (“All Apps”).

Recommended

We consider these apps a good start selection for everyone. Please note, availability of some apps depends on the selected country for LG services. (Institution: General / Location / Country of LG Services)

  • Streaming Services Video: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney +, Google Play Movies & TV, Rakuten TV
  • Streaming Services Music: Spotify , Deezer, Digital Concert Hall (Berlin Philharmonic)
  • For the Netherlands there are NPO, RTL XL, Kijk, NL Ziet. Unfortunately there are no apps for channels in Belgium.

In addition, the store has a whole range of other streaming services such as Moviemax, Dvdpost, Pathé, Anixe, Filmbox live, Viewster, Mubi. Game enthusiasts can install Twitch. If you want to stream some educational things, take a look at CuriosityStream. There are also several apps for radio (eg Radio Nederland or Radio Belgie by Mytuner).

Specials

Plex: Kodi is not available on WebOS, but as an alternative media library, install Plex Plex requires you to install a Plex server in your home network that contains all your media.

TV Vlaanderen: With this app you can watch the channels of the satellite provider TV Vlaanderen (or TéléSat if you want the French version), without a satellite dish on your roof. Of course you do need a subscription. In the Netherlands you get Channel Digital.

Remote app

If you want to use your smartphone as a remote, install the LG TV Plus app. You can also easily share the contents of your smartphone on television.

Via the TV app list, you can also quickly start all kinds of apps or internal functions.

LG recently ordered the new LG ThinQ app on, but it does not yet contain all the features that we find in the TV Plus app. In time, the ThinQ app must replace the TV Plus app, but for now you better stick to the old app.

WebOS 5.0 – Sports Alert

New in this version is Sports Alert, which can be activated via the tile in the ribbon. . This allows you to choose a number of favorite teams from different sports (American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Football and Ice Hockey) and different competitions (currently no Belgian or Dutch football). You can then consult their schedule from Sports Alert.]

WebOS 5.0 – Casting

LG TVs do not have a Chromecast built-in like Android TVs, but do support casting from YouTube and Netflix. That works exactly like a Chromecast. Just click on the cast icon that appears on your mobile in YouTube.

You can also send the full screen of your smartphone or laptop (provided they support Screen Share) to the television.

WebOS 5.0 – AI Recommendations

After a while, the TV may give you certain recommendations. This can be about certain settings (such as activating the AI ​​image, or assigning a Quick start button) or certain content that the TV thinks is of interest to you. The recommendations appear in a small bar at the bottom of the screen.

If you find it disturbing, you can turn it off via the menu, ‘General / AI service / AI recommendation’.

WebOS 5.0 – Quick Access

Are you looking for a way to quickly launch certain apps or inputs, without passing through the home screen? This is possible with the help of Quick start. Long press the “0” key and you will get the Quick start overview.

Here you can select all kinds of sources that you assign to a number key, or remove certain links. You can start shortcuts simply by long pressing the selected number key. The “9” key leads to a short manual.

WebOS 5.0 – Tips for the WebOS settings menu

If you want to quickly select a new image mode, you do not have to go to the full settings menu. Click on the gear (on the remote) to bring up the shortcut menu.

With this you can adjust the following things: picture mode, sound mode, sound output, sleep timer and network. You can also customize the shortcut menu by clicking the pencil at the bottom of the list.

Then click the plus icon to add an item, or use the arrow keys to select one of the other icons move it.

If you want the full menu, select the three dots at the bottom of the column. Or you can also go directly to the full menu by long pressing the gear key.

Image

  • “Energy Saving”: Select “Automatic” if you want to use the light sensor. The brightness of the image is then adjusted based on the ambient light in the room.
  • ‘Additional settings / HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color’: Connect an Ultra HD HDR source to a specific HDMI input, activate on that input then HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color to get the very best picture quality.
  • Additional Settings / Instant Gamer Response: Activates ALLM (Auto low latency mode) so that the TV automatically jumps to game mode when you start gaming. ]

Sound

  • ‘Additional settings / AV Sync-Adjustment’: if the synchronization between picture and sound is wrong (sometimes occurs when using external sound solutions) you can enter the necessary delay here. [19659044] ‘Additional settings / Volume mode’: here you can choose to have the volume leveled automatically so that large volume differences disappear partially.
  • ‘Additional settings / eARC’: wish to use eARC, activate this here.

Connection

  • “Device Connection Settings”: If you want to turn off connected HDMI devices automatically when you turn off the TV, activate Simplink (HDMI-CEC). You can also execute some commands from the source device with the TV remote.

General

  • “AI Service”: all AI services are listed here. They are clear, but don’t forget these:
    • “AI Acoustic Tuning”: To adjust the sound to the room acoustics, activate this setting. After a small test that you perform using the built-in microphone in the remote, you can choose a standard adjustment, bass boost, or treble boost.
  • “Location”: broadcast country determines which channels are tuned automatically. Country for LG services gives access to certain apps only available in select countries.
  • “Home Settings”: Uncheck “Home Promotion” to remove the useless first tile on the Home screen.
  • “Additional Settings / Pointer Options’: Here you adjust the speed of the Magic remote cursor. You can also choose a larger or smaller cursor image.

Support

  • Here you will find the ‘Software update’ option to load new software and the ‘TV information’ to check which WebOS version you are currently using.