Windows ‘automatically’ installed Spotify app

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I have Spotify installed on two Win7 PCs and on my phone but have never had it installed on my Win10 PC.

This morning I fired up my Windows 10 21H2 PC to find the icon for Spotify on the taskbar and also in the Start menu. It was not there yesterday.

I could not find Spotify in the usual Program Files nor Program Files (x86) folders so I searched ‘Spotify’ and saw that this was the ‘Spotify App’ from Microsoft’s app store. I uninstalled it.

I have not myself installed any apps from the MS app store.

How and why did this Spotify app from the MS app store get installed on my PC?

 

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It has been said before I know but Microsoft seems to think they know better than you what you need installed on your computer.

Being 20 something in the 70's was so much better than being 70 something in the insane 20's

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Go to Microsoft store and block install/updates.

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Others have seen the same thing in the last few days:

Windows 10 automatically installed spotify on my pc

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opti1

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Interesting. Thanks for posting this. Nice to know, for me, that it wasn’t just me.

At least Spotify didn’t automatically start up on my PC when I logged on like it did for some other people who got bitten. I would love to know what was behind Microsoft choosing to install Spotify in particular on all these PCs and why at this particular time.

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b

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Let me ask around.

Not on business machines.

Only seeing it on “unmanaged” pcs.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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opti1

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opti1 wrote:

I would love to know what was behind Microsoft choosing to install Spotify

Only one reason : Money.

From Spotify forum :

Vasil Moderator
yesterday
Hi folks!

Thank you for bringing this to our attention!
The Spotify app is sometimes included with all pre-installed software that comes with Windows.
It is possible that an update has put the program in you Start-up list so now it auto-starts whenever you boot up your PC.

This should be easy to mend, as programs can always be excluded from your Start-up list of apps :slightly_smiling_face:
We’re here for you if any questions arise.
Thanks!

Just uninstalled Spotify, which seemingly just installed itself and made itself run on startup. Microsoft, you have a good standing with many. Please don’t start doing this

It’s certainly microsoft. I’ve just finished installing Windows 11 on a laptop I’ve just acquired and the install media is clean direct from Microsoft.

Some of the apps installed were spotify, disney +, tiktok and facebook messenger.

Edit: To explain a little more, these are Windows 11 pro licenses (well actually just windows 10 pro, but whatever). As stated before it’s a direct download from the microsoft website, not OEM media. More to the point it also happened on my desktop PC which I built myself. All upgrades to windows 11 I have have been clean installs, where the OS get’s activated with the digital license tied to my microsoft account.

All these apps are fully installed, they have a full sized packages installed according to the apps list in settings which can be uninstalled like a normal app. Spotify as OP stated is in the startup items in task manager.

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opti1

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Alex5723 wrote:

Only one reason : Money.

Right, my theory as well. It would be interesting to know what kind of arrangement Spotify made with MS to get this install and placement in startup. I.e., how much $$$ changed hands . . .

I’ve read elsewhere that (at least for some people) if you uninstall this automatically installed version of Spotify and then try to install the version downloaded from the Spotify website Windows will instead push you to reinstall the version from the MS Store.

To get past this you have to follow a somewhat convoluted procedure to remove the history of the previous automatic install that Windows saved.

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