Is "silent update" no longer optional?

I had Bitdefender set up with "silent update" off or disabled and update interval set at 23 hours. This meant that when I turned the computer on in the morning, I would get a notification asking about installing updates. This was fine with me. I'm perfectly OK with having programs check for updates, but not download or install them without first asking permission.

But some time in the last week, Bitdefender started updating itself automatically. No prior notification.

What's up with this?

Bidefender Antivirus Plus 2019

Build 23.0.16.72

Threat information updates: 12228287

Engine version 7.78860

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Comments

Sergiu C.

Hi,

The option should still be there:

Perhaps the setting was reset after a product update.

S-H

No way to tell after the fact whether a product update reset the setting causing the initial issue. But it doesn't really matter since the behavior continued after I disabled Silent Update again.

It looks like this is what happens:

The longest Automatic Update can be disabled is until system restart. After restart, Automatic Update is reenabled. Update frequency (hours between checks) doesn’t change. Silent Update, if disabled, doesn’t change. If Silent Update is disabled, the screen requesting permission to update Bitdefender appears shortly after bootup. If there is no response within 10 minutes, however, Bitdefender just goes ahead and updates itself without affirmative permission to do so.

So I guess I have an answer. Disabling Silent Update is a less real/viable option than one might think. The appearance of needing affirmative consent before an update actually happens is illusory.

What has become clear to me over the last couple of months using Bitdefender is that its programmers have a particular mindset regarding user control. Briefly, they think it is bad. They have the right to make that choice. As I will have the right to make the choice to go elsewhere when my subscription comes up for renewal.

Roxana G

Hello,

We have verified and Bitdefender it will automatically update its virus signatures.

Skuddle

"...automatically update its virus signatures."

Works for me !