Free Licence Period Now 30 Days?!

[REDACTED]

I haven't used Avast in a couple years now, due to issues in Win7, but I just installed today and found that the Free licence term is now 30 days instead of a year?

That seems pretty ridiculous and I do not find it listed ANYWHERE on the site - this should be pretty prominent as it is a GREAT incentive for me NOT to use the program.

[DavidR]

Free is still free, I have been using it for almost 14 years.

Are you sure you didn't take a trial product as far as I'm aware that is the only 30 day trial option there is ?

Where are you seeing this 30 day trial and do you have a screenshot ?

[REDACTED]

Here's what Avast shows - it also notes that it is the Free version and I have not done any trial or upgrade.

[DavidR]

Just let it run out, it should renew automatically after that.

[REDACTED]

Ok, thanks 

[DavidR]

You're welcome.

There is meant to be no registration required in avast free now, but this kind of stuff confuses the hell out of users. Anything to do with registration needs to be completely removed if registration isn't required.

[REDACTED]

Agreed.  They used to do an annual re-registration, which I thought was fine.  If it auto-renews every 30 days, fine, but if you have to manually re-register it, that is a ROYAL pain.

[Pondus]

    https://www.avast.com/registration-free-antivirus

[DavidR]

Agreed.  They used to do an annual re-registration, which I thought was fine.  If it auto-renews every 30 days, fine, but if you have to manually re-register it, that is a ROYAL pain.

It isn't that it re-registers every 30 days, at the end of that period it should be 12 months.  Why this is so bloody complex is beyond me, if registration isn't required why have any reference to registration at all.  Everything related to registration should be removed.

My guess is that it gives more opportunities to go for one of the paid options.

[REDACTED]

   https://www.avast.com/registration-free-antivirus

The file link and size are exactly the same.  Maybe they just haven't updated the UI to remove it, but it's something they need to do to lessen confusion and frustration.

[MartinZ]

Just on the main scree click on Activate button, then select Free and you will get a free license for a year

[bob3160]

Just on the main scree click on Activate button, then select Free and you will get a free license for a year

If registration is no longer needed in the free version,
why do you need to click on the Activation button
It's confusing and the screen that pops up afterwards is also confusing to most. Sorry. 

[DavidR]

Just on the main scree click on Activate button, then select Free and you will get a free license for a year

If registration is no longer needed in the free version,
why do you need to click on the Activation button
It's confusing and the screen that pops up afterwards is also confusing to most. Sorry. 

+1 or more
This clearly has to be sorted, if avast free doesn't require registration:
1.  Why is it on a 30 day trial as mentioned by the OP.
2.  Why would they need to wait for the trial/registration to end, if registration truly isn't required.
3.  As the text in the link by Pondus said.

Newer versions of Avast Free Antivirus will no longer ask you to register, and older versions will keep working even after they've "expired".

4.  Register and Activate are two terms for what is essentially the same thing, if there is no need to register, why is there a need to Activate ?

[REDACTED]

Because they want your email to get you on their mailing list - which I had no issue with - and I had no issue with renewing every year.  I DO have an issue renewing every 30 days.

It it starting to appear as if Avast has not gotten ANY better in the years since I last left it (for similar STUPID reasons).

WHY is it so much to ask of a company to do the *simple* things, let alone those that require thought - like matching a file on its HASH, instead of name+location?  If I flag a file as SAFE, then I move it, I DO NOT WANT to have to re-flag it as SAFE again.

WHY is that so hard to comprehend and implement?

============

Let's be clear here - I am not talking about the AV SCANNER using hashes to DETECT virii, I'm talking about the program recognizing file hashes on files flagged as SAFE *REGARDLESS* of where they are moved to.  That is a BASIC hash function, simple to implement, if they got off their @$$es and did it.

[DavidR]

Well they have had my email address for almost 14 years and it hasn't been used for promotions/spam, etc.

As I said I have never come across this having to renew every 30 days.