- Microsoft Store now automatically updates apps on Windows 11
- This move was made without any announcement from Microsoft.
- It may have been rolling out for some time and is designed to keep Windows 11 PCs more secure.
Windows 11 users will now find that software updates from the Microsoft Store are now mandatory and that they can only delay them for a short period of time before they are applied automatically.
Windows Central noted that Microsoft has removed the option to automatically update apps from its store; they will, regardless of their preferences, in the future.
This was done without any announcement, although the Microsoft Store offers an option to delay updates: you can pause them for up to five weeks.
This makes Microsoft Store app updates the same as Windows 11 updates, at least for Windows 11 Home users, who can only delay a cumulative (monthly) update for a while before it is forcibly applied. (Windows 11 Pro users have more options in this regard.)
Analysis: a safe mantra for Microsoft
This move may have started rolling out a month or two ago (there are mentions of this happening on Reddit), and I’m assuming it’s rolling out more widely now.
The reason patches are being passed around without giving the Windows 11 PC owner any choice is to ensure security. Obviously, patching individual pieces of software isn’t as important as making sure Windows 11 has all known vulnerabilities sealed against potential attacks (or even Windows 10, a more pressing matter these days), but it’s still a concern.
Because many people tend to simply forget about software updates, Microsoft has no doubt decided that the safest course of action is to activate them automatically. And this idea has its merit in terms of keeping the Windows 11 user base as safe as possible.
That said, I’m not too convinced about not having any options if I don’t want to upgrade. You may not want updates to run if you’re out and about with your Windows 11 laptop, on a mobile connection, for example. Or there may be a specific reason why you want to stay on an older version of an app (perhaps a deprecated feature that’s not in the latest version) and in those scenarios, if you really want to stay where you are, it would be nice to have that option.
We could still have automatic updates, but with some sort of override feature for those who need it in specific cases, complete with warnings about how it may be compromising your security. However, the reality is that having an outdated app on your PC probably poses a minimal security risk (although that kind of statement could be filed in the “famous last words” drawer, of course).
“Security first” is not a bad mantra for Microsoft to apply to its Windows ecosystem. And you can still avoid the main danger of being an early adopter of software patches (the risk of suffering a spectacular bug) by pausing updates for a month (giving the developer time to fix said problem).
Also remember that only apps from the Microsoft Store receive these automatic updates. Anything you’ve installed from somewhere else will still require a manual update (or receive updates sent by the developer within the software itself).
