If you’re the sort of person who likes to be in control of what happens on your computer – as much as such a thing is possible – you may have disabled automatic updates for Microsoft Store apps.
Microsoft has, without warning or any sort of announcement, removed this option. If you have installed an app from the Microsoft Store, you are now essentially forced to keep the very latest versions of that app installed.
There are, of course, reasons why you might not want to have your apps updated automatically. While rare, it is not unknown for app updated to remove much-loved features, or to introduce problems that break key functionality.
As spotted by Deskmodder, Microsoft has quietly (secretly, perhaps) removed automatic update disabling. It is still possible to delay the installation of updates, but this is limited.
Rather than disabling updates completely, the only options available now allow you to pause them for between one and five weeks.
It is easy to understand Microsoft’s thinking here. The vast majority of updates are about adding new features and fixing bugs. From a security point of view, it makes complete sense to have the latest version of an app installed. But, as we have already mentioned, updates can also be problematic.
Being able to postpone the installation of updates means that there is still a way to avoid being surprised by a problematic update or an update that removes a feature that you rely on. But the option to avoid an update for a maximum of five weeks means that you can merely delay the inevitable.
And if you were hoping to hack your way to an update free future, it looks as though you are out of luck. Deskmodder’s tests show that even attempting to block app updates using registry edits do not work.
The German site reports:
Wer die Einstellungen aufruft, kann jetzt die Updates zwischen einer und fünf Wochen pausieren lassen. Danach werden die Updates für die Apps wieder automatisch durchgeführt. Bei meinem Test konnte ich aber einen Unterschied zu Windows Update feststellen. Startet man trotz angehaltenen Updates in der Store App den Button „Nach Updates suchen“, bleibt die Pausierung bestehen.
Selbst die Einstellungen in der Registry bringen keine Änderung. Microsoft wird es sicherlich aus Sicherheitsgründen geändert haben, damit alle Apps immer mit den neuesten Updates ausgestattet werden. Einzig die Gruppenrichtlinie bleibt (vorerst). Warum dies erst jetzt passierte, kann nur Microsoft selbst beantworten. Also ist die Deaktivierung der App-Updates jetzt auch Geschichte.
Which, as Google Translate will tell you, means:
If you access the settings, you can now pause updates for between one and five weeks. After that, app updates will be performed automatically again. However, in my testing, I noticed a difference compared to Windows Update. If you click the “Check for Updates” button in the Store app despite the updates being paused , the pause remains.
Even the registry settings don’t make a difference. Microsoft has likely changed it for security reasons, so that all apps are always provided with the latest updates. Only the group policy remains (for now). Why this only happened now is something only Microsoft itself can answer. So, disabling app updates is now also history.
How do you feel about this? Are you able to understand where Microsoft is coming from, or do you resent the company taking away your autonomy? Does the change make you more or less likely to use the Microsoft Store?
If you liked the ability to block updates, it is surely only a matter of times before someone finds a way to block them once again – so you can hang on to that dream!