MS got pushy updating Office in Macs. Windows next?

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Warning to those of us who also have Macs and Office installed in them (or to anybody using Ofiice):

Today (26 June 2018) I got a new update for Office in my Mac that is meant for switching from whatever my Updates choice is now (“notify but let me install” by another name) to “Automatic Updates”, and there is no way to install any updates of those currently waiting to be installed until one has accepted to have the “make it all-automatic” one put in first.

In other words: MS just got pushy when it comes to updating Office in Macs, and I could well imagine this happening next in Windows too.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

2 users thanked author for this post.

HiFlyer, AlexEiffel

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Update on this topic:

Today, one day after I published the previous message, MS Office 16 for the Mac announced and offered updates in the usual, polite way once more, with a little message that appeared soon after logging in for the first time today, to the effect that there were new updates and I had the choice to “accept” and patch, or “decline”, and not patch just now. Given that nothing remarkably bad has happened, so far, involving Office 16 patches, according to the Master Patch List, here at Woody’s, after already more than two weeks since this month’s (June) patch day, I decided to see what happened if I updated now (boldly assuming, as in the past, that “no problems” for Office for Windows probably means “no problems” for Office for Macs). So went ahead, and the usual update process took place. The message that I better changed my settings to “Automatic” appeared again, but this time under the usual list of Office 16 applications with updates waiting to be installed (all of them, in this case), and the message to change my settings to “Automatic” was still there, at the bottom of the WU dialog box, but now unchecked, and with no update being offered for that, jut a reminder that I had that option to update automatically and could take it now by checking a box in there. Yesterday, there was not such a choice: “Install” or “Install” the update that would have made all installs automatic from then on being the only options. So I left that box unchecked and then started the updating. It appeared to proceed normally and, once it was done, yesterday’s “Automatic” update seemed not to have been installed (or it was not shown in the box with the creeping blue bars that indicate what is being installed and the progress, so far, in doing so). Now everything is working normally. If anything untoward were to happen later, I’ll update this posting.

At this time, it looks like yesterday’s episode might have been an unintentional gaffe of MS Office’s caretakers that now has been detected and corrected more or less right away. We’ll see.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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OscarCP wrote:

At this time, it looks like yesterday’s episode might have been an unintentional gaffe of MS Office’s caretakers that now has been detected and corrected more or less right away.

OK, my personal experience.

I suspect it was not an unintentional gaff. I believe that the initial update was an update to the “Office Update” system and perhaps not the Office program updates themselves. What’s new in the updating system is, in the May 2018 update for the updating system, Microsoft has given themselves permission to collect telemetry. Like in Win10 you have a choice: Basic or Full – no opt-out/turn it off. Open Excel. In the top menu: ExcelPreferencesSecurity and Privacy. Do you see a check box for “Send personal information to Microsoft to make improvements to Office” or “Remove personal information from this file on save”?
Anything after 4/11/18 v.16.12.0 (see release history) contains:

This release includes a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant end user notification.

I completely uninstalled my Office 2016 and removed the license from the computer after I saw that. It is a BIG procedure. Then I reinstalled the earlier version I had bought and manually updated through April. My updating is over. I don’t worry too much, I’m still running Office 2000 and 2003 without problems on XP and Win7.

2 users thanked author for this post.

HiFlyer, Elly

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