Where Is the Camera on a Samsung Smart TV? Most Sets Have None
Most Samsung smart TVs have no camera at all. The only sets with a built in camera were older high end models in the F series, where a small pop up camera sits in the top edge of the frame.
Current Samsung TVs handle video calls with a camera you add yourself: a plug in webcam or your phone.
The bigger privacy question on a modern Samsung TV is not a lens. It is the tracking settings, and this guide covers both.
Every fact here was checked against Samsung support pages in July 2026.
Which Samsung TVs actually have a camera?
Samsung’s support site lists the built in pop up camera on its 7, 8, and 9 series F models, such as the F7500 and F8000.
The 4, 5, and 6 series F models never had one. Samsung told those owners to attach an external Skype camera instead.
Newer Samsung TVs lean on add ons. Samsung sells the Slim Fit TV Camera, a detachable webcam with a magnetic mount and its own privacy cover, and many 2022 model year sets can use your phone as the TV camera through the SmartThings app.
| Samsung TV group | Camera? | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| F series 7, 8, and 9 models | Yes, built in | Pop up in the top edge of the frame |
| F series 4, 5, and 6 models | No | Used an optional plug in Skype camera |
| Current models | No | Add the Slim Fit TV Camera or use your phone |
Where is the camera on models that have one?
Look at the top of the frame, in the middle. On F series sets the camera hides inside the top edge and rises out when you press it.
Samsung’s own instructions say to push the camera gently, without touching the lens, until you hear a click. The camera then pops up out of the frame.
How to check if your TV has a camera
- Stand in front of the TV and look at the top center of the frame. A built in camera shows up as a small lens or a slim raised module.
- Run a finger along the top edge. A pop up camera feels like a small door or ridge in the middle.
- Find the model number on the label on the back of the TV. It looks something like UN55F8000 or QN65QN90B.
- Search that model number on Samsung’s support site and open the manual or spec sheet. A camera will be listed there if your TV has one.
Keep that model number handy. It speeds up other fixes too, like the ones in our guide to why a Samsung TV screen goes black randomly.
How to cover or turn off the camera
You do not need tools, and you do not need to remove anything.
- Pop up camera: press it down gently until you hear a click. The lens should sit flush inside the frame with nothing poking out.
- Plug in webcam: unplug it when you are done, or slide its shutter closed. Samsung’s Slim Fit TV Camera ships with a privacy cover for exactly this reason.
- Any lens you cannot retract: a small piece of opaque tape over the lens blocks the view without harming the screen.
Samsung says retracting the pop up camera shuts off motion and face recognition. Voice recognition keeps working until you turn it off in the settings, which is covered next.
Which privacy settings should you change on a Samsung TV?
The camera is only half the story. These settings control what your TV tracks.
The big one is Viewing Information Services, also called ACR. Samsung’s ACR support page says it builds a viewing history that can include the programs you watched, how long you watched them, TV identifiers, and your IP address.
Samsung also says ACR is optional, runs only if you opted in during setup, and that the company does not record or watch the content on your screen.
Here is how to shut it off.
- Press the Settings button on your Samsung remote, or open the home menu and choose Settings.
- Find the privacy or terms section. Samsung changes menu names from year to year, so use the settings search if you do not spot it.
- Open Viewing Information Services and switch it off. Your TV stops collecting new viewing history.
- While you are there, review voice recognition. Samsung’s smart TV privacy notice says voice commands can be sent to an outside speech company, and the same notice says you can disable voice recognition in the settings menu.
Turning off ACR does not break your apps or your recordings. Our guide on how to record on a Samsung smart TV works the same either way.
Smart TV tracking is an industry habit, not a Samsung quirk. Our report on the FTC’s findings on big tech surveillance shows how far the data collection goes across brands.
FAQ: Samsung TV cameras and privacy
Can a Samsung TV watch you without a camera?
Not visually. The realistic concern is viewing data collected through ACR, and Samsung confirms you can turn that off in the settings at any time.
Does my Samsung TV have a microphone?
TVs with voice control listen when you use voice commands. Samsung’s privacy notice says some of those commands go to an outside speech service, and the settings let you turn voice recognition off.
Can I add a camera to my Samsung TV for video calls?
Yes. Samsung sells the Slim Fit TV Camera as an accessory, and Samsung’s support site says many 2022 model year sets, including the QN90B and The Frame, can use your phone as the TV camera through the SmartThings app.
Is it safe to leave the pop up camera pushed in all the time?
Yes. Samsung designed it to retract, and the only tradeoff is that motion and face recognition features stop working while it is down.
My TV turns itself off. Is someone controlling it?
Almost certainly not. Timers, connected devices, and software bugs are the usual culprits, and our guide on why Samsung TVs turn off by themselves walks through the fixes.
what would cameras be on your TV other than spying. Very unsettling to have TV’s that do that. Especially in your bedroom with your wife. Things like this should not be aloud. It’s supposed to be viewed not to be watched. Seams like a good reason to boycott the product.