(Credit: Will Greenwald)
You're no longer able to use a Vizio account to set up a new smart TV, with the brand telling customers to merge their existing login with a Walmart account. The change currently only affects new Vizio TV purchases.
In a new email sent to customers, as shared on Reddit, the brand explains how those purchasing new TVs will be told to merge their existing Vizio account with a Walmart sign-in.
If you don't want to do that, the setup process recommends and allows you to delete your Vizio account entirely. If you choose to do so, you’ll have 30 days to request a copy of any of the information connected to your account. It's not yet clear what information would be provided if you go through that process.
The email says, “Soon, when you purchase a new VIZIO OS Smart TV, you will be given the option during the setup process to merge your old VIZIO Account into a Walmart account.” It says the move will follow both Walmart’s Customer Privacy Notice policy as well as Vizio's own privacy policy.
This is happening after Vizio became a Walmart private-label brand in February, following an acquisition that began in early 2024. The original deal was worth $2.3 billion.
The brand says no action is required “at this time” for existing smart Vizio OS TV owners, but the brand may change how it works at a later date. The email notes that it will soon allow all customers to merge their existing Vizio account with a Walmart option.
It remains unclear how these changes would impact anyone who may factory reset their current TV and remove the Vizio account in the process.