Option to turn on/off auto update downloads AND when to install the updates

There should be an option for determining if updates are automatically downloaded or not. If they are, allow setting days/times or anytime to do so. For those of us on metered connections this matters. Also, for other purposes - having the software just decide to to start using the internet can be an issue and is not proper software etiquette.

Then, there should be an option in the case of automatic downloads being enabled, to determine if the download should automatically be installed, and, if so, on what day/time or immediately; or if it should be installed when the user gives specific permission.

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As I know, if a team has released an update, your browser will automatically download it when you launch the browser again. And for me this is a problem too. It was one of the main reason why I stopped using ICQ and Skype.

If I need to update my browser I can just to to Menu → About. It works for all browsers, but not for Brave. The worst thing: when Brave starts to download the update, I don’t see any notifications and I just don’t know what’s happening.

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Dating back to Brave’s Muon version, there have been user requests for user control over checking for, downloading, and installing updates. Reasons behind these requests vary. Toward the top of the heap: some users have inconsistent access to broadband. For these users, when broadband access is sub-optimal, checking for and downloading updates is a very low priority. On the other side of the ledger, from Brave developers’ perspective, users with other than the latest version installed complicate support and may well compromise security. (This is far from a complete list.)

I’m a user, not a developer. I’m one of those who occasionally has only tenuous connectivity when I’m using laptops with either 32- or 64-bit Windows 7 installed. Brave isn’t the only app that, behind the scenes, wants to phone home. (That said, there are many apps — including competitive browsers — that respect their users and give them control over checking for, downloading, and installing updates.) The culprit — not just for Brave, but for all apps behaving this way — is typically autoruns. Autoruns are programs that automatically run at startup. From Microsoft, for Windows, there’s a workaround:

For me, editing autoruns keeps this problem under control, specifically, my control.

A warning and a remark:

First, the warning: editing autoruns can cause unwelcome and unwanted consequences. It’s a powerful tool and misuse can get you into trouble.

And second, the remark: this workaround is specific to Windows. I currently rely on W-7 for which support ends next January. Exploring alternatives, I’ve found various ways to edit the Linux equivalent of autoruns — for the same reason I do it under Windows. Under Windows, the above-referenced app has worked reliably for me for years. I can’t (yet) suggest similar alternatives for other operating systems.

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I’m a developer and have supported every version of Windows since Windows 3 (also MCSE Certified). I’m very aware of this utility of Windows and the like. I saw your other post about using this method - which motivated me to start this Feature Request. It shouldn’t come down to having to do it this way. :slight_smile:

Sometimes I think developers forget who they are writing software for. I am already starting to get the little hairs on the back of my neck standing up in relation to Brave - there seems to be a lot of interest in control and oversight. I’m beginning to look at other options for things like YouTube, FB, etc… and this was looking like a method of doing so - but could I be stepping out of the pan and into the fire? We’ll see.

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Thanks for the follow-up.

Working from memory (which for me is perilous) when I first started paying attention to Brave’s Muon version, this issue — user control over updating — garnered some enthusiastic support from users but was summarily dismissed by Brave.

I added my support to the earlier thread and to this one to prime the pump.

With essentially no call from Brave users for control over when and how Brave seizes and uses resources, the only viable alternative is self-help and workarounds like editing autoruns.

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Oh, and please don’t think I was complaining about your solution or dismissing it - makes perfect sense and is a good idea. It just shouldn’t need to be done that way.

I came to Brave from Firefox for this very reason. The moment Firefox denied user control of updates, I began seeking alternatives. There’s a lot to like about Brave - enough so that I wished I’d switched to it years ago, but denying user control of updates is a deal breaker and not for the reasons cited so far. In my case, I am running older system software on older system hardware. Updates are a frightful prospect because sooner or later, they will mean the end of functional use. One day, everything’s working great and then, thanks to an auto-installed update, it’s down the tubes.

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The moment Firefox denied user control of updates

Firefox does give users control over downloading and installing updates:

  • Tools
  • Options
  • General
  • Firefox Updates
    “Check for updates but let you choose to install them”
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My bad - you’re right. What changed was that I no longer was able to stop the nagging notifications about updates.

No problem; it’s cool.

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