Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: loungehake on December 10, 2022, 07:42:56 PM
-
I just wondered if there is a bug in Avast One or Avast Free which allows Avast One to be downloaded and install itself over Avast Free without permission or even a warning. This has happened TWICE to one of my Windows 10 systems.
The second time, it caused minor damage to the system and I needed to reset some things.
-
Are you deliberately installing Avast One and you just noticed there is no warning message or prompt that it will replace Avast Free? Or is Avast One just installing on its own without any intervention from you?
-
It has happened without any intervention on my part. I have no idea what is initiating this behaviour.
-
This behaviour must have been instigated by Avast, albeit unwittingly. How else would Avast Free be mysteriously updated to Avast One? I always set version updates to manual.
It is worrying because a non-tech user could be confused by the result of such an unplanned update and I have observed this vitally important software being put in disarray in one of the two updates I have witnessed.
-
This behaviour must have been instigated by Avast, albeit unwittingly. How else would Avast Free be mysteriously updated to Avast One? I always set version updates to manual.
It is worrying because a non-tech user could be confused by the result of such an unplanned update and I have observed this vitally important software being put in disarray in one of the two updates I have witnessed.
I run the Free version of Avast and have never had any other version auto install itself.
It is easy however to accidently upgrade to another version.
-
Avast Free has shown me popups that were formulated to highly suggest Avast One was an update for Avast Free.
I don't think it's fair to put blame for 'accidental' 'upgrades' (yes, both as separate air quotes) on users, with how deceptive Avast has become in trying to trick people. If that is what happened here.
-
Avast Free has shown me popups that were formulated to highly suggest Avast One was an update for Avast Free.
I don't think it's fair to put blame for 'accidental' 'upgrades' (yes, both as separate air quotes) on users, with how deceptive Avast has become in trying to trick people. If that is what happened here.
If you didn't do it on purpose, then to me it was done accidently.
I also don't think going from one free platform to another is deceptive.
-
Avast One is a very different product from Avast Free. From what I gather in many ways a downgrade. It is in no way an update for the same software; namely Avast Free. Upgrade? Debatable. Update? Certainly not.
Popups that are designed to fool people, instead of honestly offering Avast One, are deceptive. As a user, being misled into clicking on a button, thinking it will simply update the existing software to the latest version, does not fall under changing AV's 'on purpose' in my book.
Now, the OP suggests the changeover happened without any user intervention. In that case user error cannot even be used as an excuse, even if you would redefine "user error" as "didn't catch deceptive wording and fine print". That's either a serious bug, or malice.
-
Avast One is a very different product from Avast Free. From what I gather in many ways a downgrade. It is in no way an update for the same software; namely Avast Free. Upgrade? Debatable. Update? Certainly not.
Popups that are designed to fool people, instead of honestly offering Avast One, are deceptive. As a user, being misled into clicking on a button, thinking it will simply update the existing software to the latest version, does not fall under changing AV's 'on purpose' in my book.
Now, the OP suggests the changeover happened without any user intervention. In that case user error cannot even be used as an excuse, even if you would redefine "user error" as "didn't catch deceptive wording and fine print". That's either a serious bug, or malice.
One report of such an incident to me means user error. Many such reports to me indicate an Avast problem.
Avast one offers some features that are not available in the free version (VPN) so calling it a downgrade isn't a fair assessment IMHO.
There are definitely differences between the two free products.
-
It's always a bit risky to take a lack of reports as indication things are fine. The subset of people finding this board versus all those running Avast and perhaps having issues, is small. Only those knowledgeable and vocal enough to reach out will report here. And of those only the ones that haven't found a fix themselves. I suspect many users may have switched to Avast One without even realizing it, or without a clue how to ask for help undoing it. Or they are fine with it as long as their PC keeps working well enough that they can open a browser because that is all they ever do. Everything else is background noise. None of those people will come here and complain. There is an inherent bias at play here vis-à-vis those that manage to report problems.
I agree though that one example is an anecdote. Hopefully either more people come forward with this problem and report here, or the OP remembers some interaction that was the cause.
To the OP: you didn't click on any buttons or popups other than the usual ones after install?
-
It's always a bit risky to take a lack of reports as indication things are fine. The subset of people finding this board versus all those running Avast and perhaps having issues, is small. Only those knowledgeable and vocal enough to reach out will report here. And of those only the ones that haven't found a fix themselves. I suspect many users may have switched to Avast One without even realizing it, or without a clue how to ask for help undoing it. Or they are fine with it as long as their PC keeps working well enough that they can open a browser because that is all they ever do. Everything else is background noise. None of those people will come here and complain. There is an inherent bias at play here vis-à-vis those that manage to report problems.
I agree though that one example is an anecdote. Hopefully either more people come forward with this problem and report here, or the OP remembers some interaction that was the cause.
To the OP: you didn't click on any buttons or popups other than the usual ones after install?
@Rundvleeskroket, out of curiosity, which version of Avast are you using?
-
Avast Free. Current build: 22.12.6044 (build 22.12.7758.765)
-
Avast Free. Current build: 22.12.6044 (build 22.12.7758.765)
You and I are both using the latest Beta version.
I have never had my free version convert to anything without my knowledge.
I have tried many other versions but only by choice.
-
I've never enrolled in a beta program, so that's alarming. This is what I got when I last manually updated program versions. I don't want a beta. Ever.
You and I might be more aware of the shenanigans Avast tries to pull and can thus avoid 'upgrades'. This likely isn't the case with most people. For instance: I've trained family to ignore all the upsell and alarmist messages, and still I've found their laptop running the Avast browser. Because a checkbox was missed after an auto-update or no obvious way to back out of a menu was present. This is the result of Avast choosing to obfuscate. It is by design. In my opinion it erodes Avast as a brand.
-
I've never enrolled in a beta program, so that's alarming. This is what I got when I last manually updated program versions. I don't want a beta. Ever.
You and I might be more aware of the shenanigans Avast tries to pull and can thus avoid 'upgrades'. This likely isn't the case with most people. For instance: I've trained family to ignore all the upsell and alarmist messages, and still I've found their laptop running the Avast browser. Because a checkbox was missed after an auto-update or no obvious way to back out of a menu was present. This is the result of Avast choosing to obfuscate. It is by design. In my opinion it erodes Avast as a brand.
At the moment, the latest beta and the last regular release have the same version. So I'm the one using the beta version.