Bright SDK alternatives after the LG and Samsung ban

What happened

Residential proxy SDKs, such as Bright Data's Bright SDK (Bright Data was formerly Luminati), turn the user's device into an exit node of a proxy network after the user consents. Bright Data marketed it to developers as something that "pays a fixed daily rate, on top of your existing revenue."

The timeline:

• June 2026: The Hacker News reported that free apps were quietly turning smart TVs into proxies, and that Google, Amazon and Roku had already restricted background proxy SDKs.
• Summer 2026: research by Spur, reported by KrebsOnSecurity in July, found residential proxy SDKs in more than 42% of the LG webOS apps and more than a quarter of the Samsung Tizen apps it analyzed, with Bright Data's SDK the most common.
• July 21, 2026: LG said: "A residential proxy network is not an intended use for LG smart TVs ... If this option is not removed, these apps will be suspended."
• Early August 2026: Samsung told the press it had "already restricted new app registrations that incorporate such proxy functionalities", is "implementing strict platform-wide developer policies explicitly banning residential proxy SDKs" and is "working to identify and remove all apps currently available."

Bright Data told KrebsOnSecurity that "every peer opts in through a dedicated screen and receives value in return; every customer is vetted", and that its practices have had a second independent audit by PwC. The platforms' decision doesn't depend on that: on LG and Samsung TVs, the option has to go.

Which SDKs are affected

The platform statements describe the function, not a vendor list. LG talks about "a residential proxy network"; Samsung about "proxy functionalities" and "residential proxy SDKs". If an SDK in your app lets someone else's traffic be routed through the viewer's TV or internet connection, read the ban as applying to it, whatever the vendor calls it ("bandwidth sharing", "web indexing", "peer network"). When in doubt, ask your Samsung or LG contact before your next submission rather than after.

Ad SDKs, analytics SDKs and payment SDKs are not what this ban is about. They have their own rules on consent and identifiers.

Removing the SDK and resubmitting

A clean removal is more than deleting one import. Our checklist:

1. Remove the SDK files and every call to them, including initialization in your splash or settings screens.
2. Remove the consent screen and any settings toggle that offered the proxy option, so reviewers don't see it.
3. Remove the vendor's hosts from config.xml <access> entries (Tizen) and from any Content Security Policy.
4. Update your privacy policy and store description where they mention the SDK or the "share your connection" option.
5. Bump the version and resubmit through Samsung Seller Office or LG Seller Lounge. On Samsung, new registrations with proxy functions are already blocked.
6. Tell your users what changed if the option unlocked something for them (see below).

Replacement revenue: what is left

None of these pays a fixed daily rate per installed TV. They pay per view, per scan or per purchase, so the revenue follows how much people actually use your app. In rough order of how well they fit a free TV game:

Rewarded video

The player chooses to watch a video for an extra life, a continue or double coins. Because it is opt-in, it fits TV games well and doesn't get in the way of players who don't want ads. See rewarded ads for Smart TV games.

Interstitials at natural breaks

A video between levels or after a game over, skippable after a few seconds, with frequency caps so it doesn't appear after every short round.

Scan-to-reward QR

The player scans a QR code with their phone and gets the reward as soon as the scan registers. It is quicker for the player than a 30-second video, and the advertiser gets a visit instead of a view. See QR code ads on TV.

In-app purchases

Samsung Checkout on Tizen (partner level in practice), Paymentwall on LG. A small "remove ads" or "starter pack" purchase works alongside ads. See TV in-app purchases.

Cross-promotion

If you publish more than one TV app, fill unsold breaks with your own games. It earns nothing directly, but moves players to the app that monetizes best.

Rebuilding the "free in exchange for something" deal

Bright Data says every peer "receives value in return". If your app framed the proxy option as that kind of trade (accept it and get an ad-free mode or extra content, say), you can keep the trade and change the currency:

• "Watch one rewarded ad, play ad-free for the session." One opt-in view at the start replaces interstitials for that session.
• "Scan to unlock." A sponsor's QR code unlocks a level pack or a skin for the day.
• "Buy once, no ads." Where IAP is available, sell the ad-free mode outright.

// "Watch one ad, no more ads this session"
const r = await SofAds.showRewarded({
  placement: "ad_free_session",
  onReward: () => { session.adFree = true; },
});
// Later, at a level break:
if (!session.adFree) await SofAds.showInterstitial({ placement: "level_break" });

Checklist

• Proxy or bandwidth SDK removed, including its consent screen, settings, hosts and privacy policy text.
• New build submitted on Samsung and LG.
• Rewarded ads placed where players already want something (a continue, a reward).
• Interstitials only at natural breaks, with frequency caps.
• app-ads.txt published on your developer domain for every ad seller. How to set it up.
• Consent and Limit Ad Tracking handled for advertising IDs. Advertising IDs on Smart TVs.