Microsoft pressures LG to remove unwanted McAfee ads
▼ Summary
– Microsoft intervened to stop LG bloatware pop-ups on Windows 11 after complaints about McAfee trial ads appearing when LG monitors were connected.
– LG agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from its LG Monitor App Installer immediately, following Microsoft’s crackdown.
– A Windows driver update was silently installing LG software without user permission, with reports dating back to 2024.
– LG claimed McAfee is only installed with explicit user consent and defended its distribution through Microsoft’s official process.
– Other companies like Dell also auto-install apps on Windows, and LG pushes ad notifications on its TVs, indicating wider industry practices.
Microsoft has stepped in to stop a wave of unwanted McAfee trial pop-ups on Windows 11 machines connected to LG monitors. The tech giant’s Windows chief, Pavan Davuluri, confirmed that LG has agreed to immediately disable the McAfee pop-up from its LG Monitor App Installer. Davuluri also pledged that Microsoft will “keep improving here with our ecosystem partners,” signaling a broader effort to curb intrusive software practices.
The crackdown follows widespread complaints about large pop-up ads for McAfee antivirus and LG’s own apps appearing on Windows 11 PCs after users connected LG monitors. The issue stemmed from a Windows driver update that silently installed LG driver updates and the LG Monitor App Installer without explicit user permission. Reports of this auto-installing problem date back to 2024, yet the frustration has only grown.
In response, LG issued a lengthy, uncredited statement to Windows Latest that appears to sidestep the core complaint. The company claimed that “McAfee is not installed automatically and is never installed without the user’s explicit consent.” It explained that the LG Monitor App Installer is distributed through Microsoft’s official Windows distribution process, which includes McAfee as an option. According to LG, “McAfee will be installed only if a user actively chooses to proceed with the installation and provides consent.” The company also stressed that “under no circumstances is McAfee installed automatically or without user authorization,” and insisted that the installer does not access, collect, or transmit any personal data.
LG is far from alone in this practice. Tom Warren of The Verge previously noted that Dell similarly auto-installs an Alienware Command Center app on Windows when users connect Alienware monitors. Warren also recently reported that LG pushes annoying ad notifications on its TVs at startup. Microsoft’s intervention, while welcome, can only go so far in an ecosystem where such bloatware remains pervasive.
(Source: The Verge)
