14 DAY TRIAL // It’s been a while since we last heard of a forced update or install from Microsoft, but now it turns out the company does it again, this time with a Windows 10 app.
According to reports, Microsoft has quietly deployed a mysterious Windows 10 app on users’ computers without their consent, and the company remained completely tight-lipped on the purpose of this app.
Called Photos Add-on, the app appears to be aimed at systems running Windows 10 Anniversary Update and later and is listed in the Settings app under Apps & features as Photos.DLC Main.
The Windows Store entry, however, comes with no description, so while this app is installed automatically on users’ PCs without them giving their consent, it’s pretty hard to tell what it does.
Installed on Patch Tuesday
The cited source indicates the app was deployed on October 10 as part of this month’s Patch Tuesday, but it’s not yet clear what specific update forced the install. Reviews posted in the Windows Store clearly show that users aren’t pleased with Microsoft installing apps without their permission:
“I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t approve this, I didn’t even know you were planning on installing this,” one user who rated the app with one star wrote. “Stop adding apps I don’t want or need,” another one continued, while one angry user told Microsoft it’s “not cool” to turn to forced installs.
After further inspection, it seems like this add-on could be part of an update that helps Microsoft deliver improvements to the Photos app, though it also appears to be responsible for popups related to Office 365 content.
Without a doubt, having Microsoft silently deploy apps on Windows 10 systems isn’t the kind of thing that users want to see these days, and the software giant should already know this very well after the “Get Windows 10” app fiasco.
We’ve reached out to Microsoft to ask for more information about this forced install and will update the article when and if an answer is provided.