New tv’s and the permissions they ask for.

The microphone on my Sony TV has always been off in settings. Using the remote to type search terms in the virtual keyboard is the downside but... I've dealt with it since day one. When I was loading/building the KODI app I had to type in long http:// web addresses and I did briefly consider buying a wireless keyboard to make that easier. I later found builds for KODI like NoLimits for example that load more than enough with just that one web address.