Rooting your smart TV gives you access to thousands of apps and the ability to run them without restrictions. Using root methods and apps you can enable features like skipping YouTube ads with SponsorBlock or playing YouTube videos ad-free with AdAway. Whatever your goal is, rooting lets you do it.



The Free World is a really big place! And it keeps getting bigger all the time. Most of the time we get by just fine without having to leave our own backyards though, right? We see countries on the news, but we have no personal experience with them. When Jailbreaking your LG Smart TV, you’d be amazed at how many apps are out there that can change your experience in even the simplest ways. So this guide is to help you Jailbreak Your Smart TV so that you can enjoy it more than ever!

What is Jail Breaking/Rooting?

Jail breaking is the process of removing limitations on a device that would otherwise prevent it from functioning as intended. For example, jail breaking an iPhone will allow you to install apps that are not available in the App Store. Jail breaking a smart TV allows you to install apps that aren’t available through the official app store.

Why Jail Break Your Smart TV?

The main reason why people jail break their smart TVs is because they can’t get the apps they want. The official app store on most smart TVs only has a handful of apps, and some them are not very good. So if there’s an app you really want, but it isn’t in the official app store then you’ll need to jail break your TV so that you can download it onto your device.

How to Jail Break An LG Smart TV Using RootMyTV

If you’re looking to root your LG smart TV, the best way to do so is method is using RootMyTV, an app that allows you to install apps like Kodi and YouTube Adfree.

What is RootMyTV

RootMyTV is a user-friendly exploit for jailbreaking LG webOS smart TVs and makes it relatively easy to install third party apps onto them. This will bootstrap the installation that will allow the webOS Homebrew Channel to run at an elevated level of privilege.

See also  paramount plus streaming issues, how to quickly fix

The Homebrew Channel is an app that makes it easier to install and run 3rd party software. It was developed by the community.

SponsorBlock can be used to play YouTube videos ad free and skip sponsored segments.

The Homebrew Channel provides access to a variety of features not present in stock webOS (or any other smart TV operating system). Some of these features include:

  • Themes and customizations
  • Custom backgrounds (wallpapers)
  • Install new apps from the webOS App Catalog or install them from third party sources
  • Install new emulators to run different kinds of games or applications on your TV!

It has endless possibilities!

Is my TV vulnerable?

A lot of people are going to want to know if their smart TV is vulnerable to the exploit that allows RootMyTV to jailbreak it.

RootMyTV v1 (2021-05-15)

At the time of writing the original exploit, all webOS versions between 3.4 and 6.0 we tested (TVs released between mid-2017 and early-2021) are supported by this exploit chain. Around June-July 2021 LG started rolling out updates that added some minor mitigations that broke our original exploit chain.

RootMyTV v2 (2022-01-05)

All webOS versions between 4.x and 6.2+, which we tested (TVs released between early 2018 and late 2021) are supported by the new exploit chain. Some versions between 3.4 and 3.9 may be supported by RootMyTV v2, but your mileage may vary.

Note: webOS TV versioning is the “webOS TV Version” field in the settings menu, not what’s listed as your current software version.

How Do l Jail Break An LG Smart TV With RootMyTV?

Note: We do not guarantee that rooting your TV will work as expected, and we are aware of the potential damage that could be caused. This may void your warranty.

If you want to jailbreak your smart TV and get the most out of it, you need to root your device.

The process is easy and can be done with just a few clicks. Just follow these steps:

Step 1: Make sure “Settings → Network → LG Connect Apps” feature is enabled.

Step 2: Developer Mode app must be uninstalled before rooting. Having this application installed will interfere with RootMyTV v2 exploit, and its full functionality is replaced by Homebrew Channel built-in SSH server.

See also  How to Install Xfinity Stream on Vizio Smart TV

Step 3: Open the TV’s web browser app and navigate to https://rootmy.tv

“Slide to root” using a Magic Remote or press button “5” on your remote.

Step 5: Accept the security prompt. The exploit will proceed automatically. The TV will reboot itself once during this process, and optionally a second time to finalize the installation of the Homebrew Channel.

On-screen notifications will indicate the exploit’s progress. On webOS 6.x Home Screen needs to be opened for notifications/prompts to show up. Your TV should now have Homebrew.

Why Root Your LG Smart TV?

LG’s webOS operating system is built on an open-source Linux kernel, and as such it’s very easy to root. Rooting your LG WebOS Smart TV will give you access to the full power of the operating system and enable you to install unofficial applications, make changes to system settings, and much more.

Jailbreaking your LG Smart TV is a great way to unlock new features, like the ability to customize your system UI and adjust certain TV configuration options. It also lets you access some interesting features like PicCap (high performance video capture used for DIY immersive ambient lighting setups).

1. Unlimited “Developer Mode” access

While LG allows willing Homebrew developers/users to install unofficial applications onto their TVs, the official method requires manual renewal of “developer mode session”, which expires after 50 hours of inactivity.

Some of the amazing homebrew that has been built/ported onto webOS would likely never be accepted onto LG’s official Content Store.

This means you won’t be able to the access these apps while your TV is connected to the internet. It also means that if you don’t use your TV for more than 50 hours in a row, you’ll have to start over when you turn it back on!

The only way around this is by rooting your TV and installing a custom ROM that enables “root access”.

2. Lower level user/application access

Jailbreaking allows willing developers to research webOS system internals, which will result in the creation of amazing projects, like PicCap (high performance video capture used for DIY immersive ambient lighting setups), or access to some interesting features like customization of system UI, remote adjustment of certain TV configuration options, and others.

See also  How to Fix fuboTV Not Working on Samsung TV

3. Freedom from limitations

With root access on your LG Smart TV you can do some really cool things with your device that would otherwise be impossible—like installing custom ROMs (new operating systems) on your device that offer new features and capabilities. For example, you can install a custom ROM on your TV that allows you to play games.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe?

We have not encountered any bricks due to rooting. If you only use trusted software from the official Homebrew Channel repository, then you should be safe.

Will this void my warranty?

In the EU at least, rooting and other software modifications are generally deemed to be legal and should not be a basis for voiding your warranty. However, please be aware that this is not legal advice.

How do I get rid of this?

The best method is to factory reset the device. This will remove all root-related configuration files and should allow you to start over with a fresh installation of the operating system.

Unfortunately, they don’t have a convenient tool for root removal without factory reset. A knowledgeable person may be able to manually remove the customizations, but they cannot provide support for this process, it’s too involved for them to provide detailed instructions here.

Are system updates possible?

Unfortunately, no. We can’t guarantee that future updates won’t break our methods for elevating and running the Homebrew Channel app. So if you’re concerned about being able to keep your TV jailbroken, we recommend not updating it at all.

Will this break Netflix/YouTube/AmazonVideo?

You’ve probably heard conflicting reports about whether or not jailbreaking your smart TV will limit or break access to subscription services like Netflix or YouTube.

But the truth is, it won’t.

The process of jailbreaking your smart TV does not change any of the DRM-protected content that you might have already paid for. The only thing it does is remove a few restrictions that prevent you from using certain features like screen mirroring and voice search.