Avast WEBforum

Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: AlanHK on December 03, 2013, 02:54:01 PM

Title: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: AlanHK on December 03, 2013, 02:54:01 PM
Since the last major upgrade, Avast now pops up annoying ads several times a day, instead of a few times a year as it did before.

Just saw another one, some garbage about "Cyber Monday".

And several times a day, trying to sell me some VPN service.

Yeah, I use the free version, but there comes a point when this intrusive crap outweighs the service and I will just jump ship, after maybe 10 years of using it and installing it on my friends' and families' computers,

I shudder to think that they are now all blaming me for this harassment.

Has Avast been sold to some XXXX  who wants to monetise everything to the max to pay off his loans?

If this continues, and I sadly expect it will only get worse, I'll pull the plug.


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Edited to make suitable for maiden aunts.






Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: Para-Noid on December 03, 2013, 06:16:06 PM
First, please use a more mature tone and the need for bad language is not acceptable.
The pop-ups you are referring to are "wrongly" placed. They should be about vps updates.
They come at the right time, they just say the wrong thing.  :)
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: AlanHK on December 03, 2013, 07:04:36 PM
Not greed  but incompetency then? 

The ads about "Cyber Monday", whatever the **** that is, (I'm not American)  are "wrongly placed" too?

Why on earth should I get VPS updates when I don't have a VPS to begin with?
 
Is there any way to get rid of these annoying popups short of uninstalling the program?

I ONLY want popups for actual risks, not continual, several times a day, attempts to upsell me.
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: venom_zx on December 03, 2013, 09:10:28 PM
i completely agree with you AlanHK,

those ads piss me off and i can't find the settings to turn them off. i also just saw the same "Cyber Monday" popup. i will also abandon Avast if this continues. i've also been using and recommending it for over 10 years.

i abandoned AntiVir for the same reason back in the day...
i absolutely hate SPAM
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: Para-Noid on December 03, 2013, 09:19:05 PM
To get rid of all pop-ups...GUI>Settings>General>scroll down to and tick "silent/gaming mode"

or

GUI>Settings>Appearance>scroll down to and set pop-up duration (note: one second is the lowest setting...zero equals infinity).
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: venom_zx on December 03, 2013, 09:25:31 PM
if i put it in silent/gaming mode. i won't see any important virus alerts...
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: ToonForever on December 03, 2013, 10:36:46 PM
i absolutely hate SPAM

Spam?  You use a product that real people have to make and update, but you use it for free, and you call the occasional ads "spam?"

Sheesh, the entitlement of some people...
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: Para-Noid on December 03, 2013, 11:16:39 PM
It's not spam, it's a bug. 
Some users get it and some don't.
And it's a known bug. Should be fixed
in the next release.
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: Para-Noid on December 03, 2013, 11:19:51 PM
if i put it in silent/gaming mode. i won't see any important virus alerts...
Correct, you won't see any pop-ups.
My advice is to limit the duration of the pop-ups
as I showed how above.

GUI>Settings>Appearance>Pop-Ups>set to as low as one second.
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: Coffee addict on December 03, 2013, 11:52:47 PM
I have been getting these annoying ads over the vps updates too, facebook security etc.  I unticked participate in the avast community box in general settings tab and I have not seen one ad since, just get normal updates now ;D
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: DavidR on December 04, 2013, 12:00:14 AM
<snip>
My advice is to limit the duration of the pop-ups
as I showed how above.

GUI>Settings>Appearance>Pop-Ups>set to as low as one second.

Unfortunately limiting the duration won't make a blind bit of difference as one of the symptoms of the screwed up update notifications is the duration function doesn't work either. Along with the Tip/Ads popup instead of update notification popup and no voice over.

The only way to deal with it as has been mentioned in many topics is:
These tips popups have in the past been piggybacked with the auto update update notification, so the only way to get rid of them would be to disable the auto update notification, which if you want the update notification (when it works correctly) would remove everything.

avastUI > Settings > Update - scroll down to Details and uncheck the 'Show notification box after automatic update.'

@ Coffee addict
I think this is a happy coincidence as I have had these options unchecked for some considerable time in avast and it doesn't stop the screwed up auto update bug.
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: AlanHK on December 04, 2013, 02:43:13 AM
It's not spam, it's a bug. 
Some users get it and some don't.
And it's a known bug. Should be fixed
in the next release.

It is spam, by definition. An unsolicited advertisement.
And excuse me for not believing that it's a bug. It's obviously designed to deliver ads very efficiently and prominently. 
The program updates itself every 4 hours, yet this "bug" has not been addressed. Just more spam delivered instead.
Seems they have a very relaxed attitude to fixing this "bug".

Obviously Avast controls what ads are delivered. If there was an error they could replace their spam with informational popups explaining the problem instead of more Cyber Monday crap, which just popped up AGAIN.


Anyway, I turned off update notification. Let's see if that's sufficient.
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: seeker15 on December 04, 2013, 11:30:28 AM
Block the program in firewall and get rid of all those annoying ads.

Free does not mean one should be bombarded with ads several times a day! I for one, didn't experience such annoyance except that stupid pop-up that says 'loading' and then disappears ! Also, it doesn't sound good to complain either because you are using it free! Therefore, either you find a solution of your own to have intrusion free experience or just move on with something else to enjoy the same!
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: AlanHK on December 04, 2013, 12:14:01 PM
Free does not mean one should be bombarded with ads several times a day! I for one, didn't experience such annoyance except that stupid pop-up that says 'loading' and then disappears ! Also, it doesn't sound good to complain either because you are using it free! Therefore, either you find a solution of your own to have intrusion free experience or just move on with something else to enjoy the same!

You complain more than I, then lecture me about not complaining?

This forum exists so users can help each other. It's not helping if half the responses are  "lt's free, so STFU".

Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: seeker15 on December 04, 2013, 01:59:56 PM

You complain more than I, then lecture me about not complaining?

This forum exists so users can help each other. It's not helping if half the responses are  "lt's free, so STFU".

Oh my Apologies!
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: Para-Noid on December 04, 2013, 05:15:25 PM
@ AlanHK  It is a known bug which should be fixed in the next refresh.
                 You are not the first to complain about it. There is/was an
                 entire thread devoted to this one issue. Like I stated before
                 right pop-up...wrong wording.
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: venom_zx on December 04, 2013, 06:30:29 PM
i absolutely hate SPAM

Spam?  You use a product that real people have to make and update, but you use it for free, and you call the occasional ads "spam?"

Sheesh, the entitlement of some people...

i can live with ads in the interface. but i don't want to see them "outside" the interface when i'm not explicitly doing anything with it
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: venom_zx on December 04, 2013, 06:40:08 PM
<snip>
My advice is to limit the duration of the pop-ups
as I showed how above.

GUI>Settings>Appearance>Pop-Ups>set to as low as one second.

Unfortunately limiting the duration won't make a blind bit of difference as one of the symptoms of the screwed up update notifications is the duration function doesn't work either. Along with the Tip/Ads popup instead of update notification popup and no voice over.

The only way to deal with it as has been mentioned in many topics is:
These tips popups have in the past been piggybacked with the auto update update notification, so the only way to get rid of them would be to disable the auto update notification, which if you want the update notification (when it works correctly) would remove everything.

avastUI > Settings > Update - scroll down to Details and uncheck the 'Show notification box after automatic update.'

@ Coffee addict
I think this is a happy coincidence as I have had these options unchecked for some considerable time in avast and it doesn't stop the screwed up auto update bug.

thanks. i just did this. we'll see how it goes...
Title: Re: Avast popup ads driving me nuts
Post by: Para-Noid on December 04, 2013, 07:04:36 PM
Again...it's a known bug!

I doesn't matter what you have your settings on it will still happen.
This should be fixed with the next refresh!