
We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment and we’ll update this article if we hear back from the company. That said, it goes without saying that many users still take offence to Microsoft downloading apps onto their systems without their consent, even though it can be removed. When you install any app from the store, you’re giving the store access to your device and Microsoft can remote uninstall apps for your convenience (yes, it’s a feature).Įven if the Spotify app was installed on Windows 10 / Windows 11 without that explicit permission, you can always uninstall it and it won’t download or install again. You don’t have to be in front of your desktop phone to grant privileges to certain app installs pushed via Microsoft Store or Windows Update. If you’re wondering “Can Microsoft Store install apps to your PC without your input?” the answer is “Yes, they can”. The company uses the same mechanism to automatically install Candy Crush and other apps. However, it’s also possible that this is a feature. That’s because Microsoft does have the ultimate control over the apps “rented” i.e downloaded from the Store.

It’s possible that Microsoft accidentally pushed out the app to PCs via its app store due to a bug in the system. It can’t be Spotify as the app store is controlled by Microsoft. We don’t know how the app got installed on Windows machines.

Far too much control is taken by Microsoft now I think, time to put this new SSD into my Linux box and use that for daily tasks (besides Steam),” another Twitter user tweeted. “Did Windows just force Spotify on anyone else in the last few days? Two machines have done this now.
