LG Expands ThinQ UP Software Updates to 37 European Countries

LG Electronics has expanded its ThinQ UP feature-update service for residential air conditioners from 6 to 37 European countries, the company said in a release published 7 September 2026 on its global newsroom. ThinQ UP lets owners of supported LG air conditioners download new software features after purchase through the LG ThinQ smartphone app, rather than being limited to whatever the unit shipped with.

Nothing about the hardware has changed. This is a feature rollout for air conditioner models already on sale, not a new product launch: there is no new model number and no new price attached to the announcement.

The service originally covered six markets: Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy and Poland. LG’s expansion adds 31 more, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Austria, Portugal, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and 18 further countries across Central, Southern, Eastern and Northern Europe.

ThinQ UP is currently available on 16 LG residential AC models. LG names the ARTCOOL Gallery Premium, ARTCOOL AI Mirror and the DUALCOOL AI series as examples. Only one feature is confirmed as downloadable today across all 16 models: Start/End Sound, an audio cue that plays when the unit starts or stops.

What is still just “planned”, not live?

LG’s release lists several further features for the ARTCOOL and DUALCOOL AI lines specifically, but frames them as upcoming rather than shipped. Energy Saving Mode would let an owner toggle an energy-saving setting across several LG appliances at once, including air conditioners, TVs, refrigerators and washing machines. Fireplace Mode would stop the AC’s heating element while keeping its fan running to circulate warm air from a fireplace or other heat source once a room reaches its set temperature. LG also lists Bluetooth Share, for moving photos and videos from a phone to the ARTCOOL Gallery Premium’s display, a matching “set as wallpaper” option, and Bluetooth Speaker, to stream music through the unit’s built-in speaker.

None of these four are available to download yet. A shopper reading the announcement should treat them as a stated roadmap, not a current feature.

Why a downloadable-feature model matters for buyers

An AC bought today is not necessarily fixed at the spec sheet it shipped with, provided the model is on LG’s supported list and the country is now covered. That is a meaningful shift for a category where the hardware itself, the compressor and the heat exchanger, typically does not change for years between model refreshes. Whether the added features are worth anything depends entirely on which of them actually ship, and LG has only confirmed one so far.

LG’s release also cites an unrelated but notable third-party result: the DUALCOOL AI Deluxe received a “Miglior Acquisto” (Best Buy) label from the Italian consumer organisation Altroconsumo in April 2026, based on Altroconsumo’s own comparative test. That finding comes from Altroconsumo, cited by LG, and CHA has not independently reviewed the underlying test.

What should a shopper actually check?

Three things, in order. First, confirm your own unit is one of the 16 named ThinQ UP models, LG’s release does not say every RAC in its lineup qualifies. Second, confirm your country is now on the 37-country list; a unit bought in a market not yet covered will not receive updates through the app regardless of model. Third, do not shop for a specific “planned” feature as though it exists today. Only Start/End Sound is confirmed live; Energy Saving Mode, Fireplace Mode, Bluetooth Share and Bluetooth Speaker are not yet available on any model.

LG does not currently appear among the air conditioner brands in CHA’s own comparison catalog. Readers comparing models the site does carry can browse our air conditioners category page while LG’s rollout continues.