Microsoft has finally admitted its efforts to ensure users upgraded to Windows 10 overstepped the mark during 2016.
The company was heavily criticised for the tactics, which included background downloads and a bait and switch that essentially tricked users into agreeing to the update.
The latter incident saw users presented with a Windows Update notification box informing them the update was scheduled rather than requesting permission to do so.
Clicking the red X on the box only served to dismiss the notification, rather than rejecting permission for the update.
Related: 13 common Windows 10 problems
Now, in an interview with Windows Weekly (via SlashGear), Microsoft’s chief marketing officer Chris Caprossela said efforts to push the envelope had resulted in some ‘mistakes.’
He said: “We know we want people to be running Windows 10 from a security perspective, but finding that right balance where you’re not stepping over the line of being too aggressive is something we tried, and for a lot of the year I think we got it right, but there was one particular moment in particular where, you know, the red ‘X’ in the dialog box which typically means ‘cancel’ didn’t mean ‘cancel.’”
In the video below he said Microsoft went “too far” with that particular indecent and admitted the criticism that followed made life “pretty painful” for his department.
Microsoft’s strongest pushes came this summer as the window for free Windows 10 updates came to a close.
The company currently has 400 million installs worldwide.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
