Update for Windows Update adds end-of-support actions

[harlan4096]

With last month's scheduled security update for Windows 10 and 11 came another update that Microsoft installed on select systems.

KB5001716: Update for Windows Update Service components, was installed on Windows 10 or 11 devices that are already no longer in support or about to reach end of support.

This is not the first time that Microsoft pushed the update. It did so in March 2024 already.

The update serves two main purposes:

• Display notifications to the user of the system about the current used version and its support status.
  
• Download and install new feature updates automatically on the device.
  

Microsoft lists the following versions of Windows 10 and 11 on the official support page:

• Windows 10, version 2004 to Windows 10, version 22H2. (from May 2020 onward)
  
• Windows 11, version 21H2.
  

This means that all recent versions of Windows 10 are targeted by the update. Only the initial release version of Windows 1 is also targeted. This is going to change in the future, and the next release to be included is Windows 11, version 22H2.

Automatic update installations

Microsoft confirms that after installation of this update, "Windows may attempt to download and install feature updates to your device". This happens if the device "is approaching or has reached the end of support".

What Microsoft does not say if this automatic action includes upgrades from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

Windows 10, version 22H2 is, after all, the last feature update release for Windows 10. There is no new version of Windows 10 that Windows Update could install on the device.

The only way out, without paying Microsoft extra for another year of support courtesy of Extended Security Updates, is the upgrade to Windows 11.

Not every Windows 10 device is compatible though, and Microsoft won't bypass the system requirement checks of Windows 11.

The second action that the update introduces, the display of notifications, is used to inform users about update-related issues that affect support with updates.

It is possible that Microsoft is using this option on Windows 10, version 22H2, to get users to upgrade to Windows 11. It is also possible that Microsoft is going to use it to promote the extended security updates, or encourage users to buy a new PC that runs Windows 11.

The notifications should not interfere (too much) with a user's activity. Microsoft says that the notifications are not shown when the user is gaming, running a full screen app or game, or when quiet time or focus assist are enabled.

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