Remember when Apple streamed the U2 album to everyone’s iPhones? Well, it seems that Microsoft automatically installs Spotify on their Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. Some users reported that Spotify magically appeared on their desktop after the latest update.
In the past week, reports of this issue have surfaced on Reddit and Microsoft support forums. Latest reports, including one from Daryl Baxter technical radarindicating that this is a relatively common problem.
The automatically installed version of Spotify is set to start on boot. It also takes up space on the Windows taskbar, which makes it very frustrating for inexperienced Windows users.
Now, this is not a “regular” Spotify app. This is the version of Spotify distributed by the Microsoft Store and may explain why users are not prompted to confirm installation. Microsoft can bypass installation wizards and other security hurdles when it forces applications to be installed on your computer.
I hope this is some kind of error. Force bloatware on your computer is one way, but Spotify opens on startup, taking up system resources and asking for a subscription. For inexperienced users, especially those who don’t use Spotify, this is a McAffe class annoyance.
Neither Microsoft nor Spotify has commented on the story. I don’t know if companies are intentionally forcing Spotify on PC. If you want to remove Spotify from your computer, go here. How geekGuide to uninstall Windows applications.
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