Software Updater suggestion - Do not offer updates to PAY Products

Consumer Products Public Beta Avast Antivirus Beta
1

After installing I was presented an Avast window suggesting ‘Software Updates are available’.
I accepted and said to myself - this is a Beta - try it out… so I did, accepted ‘All offered updates.’…

One of the updates was for WinZip - to version 19.5 - well, this is a PAY product - not free - Avast Software Updater ‘updated’ my licensed copy to a Trial version which I have now had to uninstall.
What bothers me prompting to bring this to Avast’s attention is I OWN a license for Winzip version 12 - and there IS NO FREE update offered to version 12.
An extra pop-up or notice should be clearly shown if a potential update will require additional cost.
SO - now i have to search and hope I can find my old license key and an installer for version 12.

So my advice - DO NOT offer updates to pay products - installing a Trial update over a Licensed version WILL Really upset people.

The only reason I use Winzip is to encrypt zip files which the OS cannot do, and updating offers no advantages to decrypting existing encrypted zip files.

A second suggestion while I am at it:
Avast, after uninstalling WinZip - Avast pops up a box (Talk about invasion of privacy - makes me a bit uncomfortable knowing Avast is watching what I do on my PC) telling files were left over (yes, the old files from the licensed WinZip which were left over after removing the Trial) and I should ‘Optimize my PC’??? Click and oh, I have to pay more $ to Avast??? BAD IDEA. Never sell a release product that solicits purchasing more products. While it may be helpful - it is also cheap - a user paid for this product, it should not show ‘advertisements’. Products that show or solicit other products ARE USUALLY FREE - Since the advertisements pay for the free use of the product - but I am testing a Trial of a Release PAY product - not a FREE product. I seem to maybe remember a ‘offer Tips, suggestions and other’ box during install - was this the switch? Should be a separate one ‘Allow offers of other Avast Products’ - I would not have checked this one. Tips and suggestions does not imply paying for them.

Hope this info helps,
Todd

Love Beta’s - so nice to complain as I love to make products better… :slight_smile:
Beta Tester since Windows 98 - every OS and many other products. Currently Windows 10 with Avast Internet Security Beta ‘Trial’

2

First I’m an avast user just like yourself.

There is a valid reason to offer updates, be they for paid versions or not - in many cases updates would be fixing vulnerabilities that could be exploited. The software monitored by avast are generally those which A) are internet facing (browsers, email programs, etc.) and B) popular ones which are more at risk or targeted by malware.

There is nothing to set that program to Ignore Updates in the Software Updater

3

Have a valid Upgrade Assurance or Software Maintenance plan? Upgrade FREE!
So you should have known that you don’t have that and should have not chosen to update.
avast only checks if there are newer versions.
Nothing more, nothing less.
It doesn’t matter if the products are free or not.

Why are you still using a real old version of Winzip ?
7zip can do the same and even better and it is free.

And for the pop-ups…
It is freemium business model that is used by a huge amount of companies.
In the paid versions of avast you can disable them.