back to article Windows Mobile users suffer backup super-slurp as Redmond forgets Wi-Fi switch

Microsoft is telling Windows 10 mobile users to shut off automatic updates, because a bug is demolishing people's data allowances. The antics of the Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview edition has lit up forums like Reddit and Windows Central, because it assumes users believe “back up everything to the cloud on whatever network …

  1. MrDamage Silver badge

    Surprise, suprise....

    This coming from the same people who shove Win10 down unsuspecting people's throats, just assuming everyone has unlimited data allowances via a fibre connection.

    They may as well make their new slogan;

    "Poor? Slow bandwidth? Low allowances? Then fuck off!"

    1. agatum

      Re: Surprise, suprise....

      "Poor? Slow bandwidth? Low allowances? Then fuck off!"

      Many would be utterly pleased of such slogan. They'd still be comfortably using their good old win7 instead of force fed crap that is ten.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Re: Surprise, suprise....

      We charge like Apple, spy like Google and break like a cheap Chinese toy.

      We are Old New Microsoft.

  2. inmypjs Silver badge

    Kinda hard to

    give a shit about anyone who

    a) uses windows 10 on anything and

    b) elects to give all the information on their phone unencrypted to Microsoft.

  3. joed

    Perfect

    The brave few has gotten what they deserved. That will teach them fanboys;).

    Will be checking if my test W10 box started downloading updates and submitting pending telemetry over "metered" wireless network.

  4. raving angry loony

    Just one comment...

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Fucking told you to stay away from the evil empire, but would you fucking listen? No you wouldn't, you brainless twats! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  5. channel extended

    Is Comcast?

    Selling win10 phones? What a way to hit 300GB.

  6. Mikel

    Some people will complain about anything

    Just get an unlimited data allowance and quit whining. Obviously that worked for the developers.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Some people will complain about anything

      I propose a new FLA (Four Letter Acronym)

      RRDF

      Redmond

      Reality

      Distorsion

      Field

      As opposed to the normal RDF which is reserved for anything to do with Crapple.

      RRDF applies to anything coming out of MS HQ. They seem to have an even more distorted view of the world at large than even SJ at his worst.

      The lack of quality control on stuff coming out of there recently is just rather sad.

      I coud go on (and on and on) but it will just depress me for the rest of the day as I'm supposed to be doing a Server 2008 to Server 2012 'upgrade' on a number of systems.

      Perhaps I can give the Marvin (the android) excuse?

      This is the one where I say to my PHB, I'm already depressed. Do you want to make it worse?

    2. Oengus
      Flame

      Re: Some people will complain about anything

      All well and good for those people in locations where you can get unlimited Mobile data. In Australia if you get more than 10Gb data allowance per month you are lucky (and paying quite a bit for it) then it is $10 per Gb after that.

      An Unlimited mobile data plan is a pipe dream in Australia.

    3. Adam 52 Silver badge

      Re: Some people will complain about anything

      The mobile site doesn't do icons, was there a troll or joke associated with this post?

      1. Mikel

        Re: Some people will complain about anything

        It does do icons. And yes, it is sarcasm. The Microsoft developers with company owned phones working on this don't pay for their data or get their bill - which is negotiated unlimited anyways. So they don't look at the issues that plague the normal people who buy their products.

        We all know not one of them would buy a Windows Phone with their own money and put it on their personal metered mobile plan.

  7. Dan 55 Silver badge
    WTF?

    "I had wifi on last night after reset and System usage was only 3MB"

    What in the name of $DEITY are they uploading? Not even Android manages this in one night.

    Remember this is after a reset and it works properly over WiFi.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Per connection setting required

    Surely it's about time any device has settings for things like this per connection/access point not just mobile/wifi. I'm sure I'm not the only one who uses a mobile dongle which appears as a wifi connection to my devices. Thus the ability to use data only when connected to certain access points would be they way to go for any automated uploads/downloads. In the case of sending email it would also be useful to specify different settings per connection/access point.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: Per connection setting required

      In stock (or stock-like) Android it's Settings > Data Usage > Network Restrictions to stop background updates and a sync button in the notification drawer to stop email etc...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Per connection setting required

        That as per my post won't work if you are connected to a dongle as it will think it's wifi!

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Error? Really?

    This sort of thing has been going on for so long that it's hard to swallow the 'whoops, sorry' excuse. If Microsoft's developers were as inept as we are meant to assume, then Windows 10 would be a total mess (and hate it as I do, I wouldn't say that).

    So, I'm led to conclude that this behaviour is deliberate. No-one in their right mind would authorise significant automatic data backup if they have low data limits, but the Insider Programme needs people to allow it in order to fully test the concepts. So they randomly check/uncheck settings as their testing strategy requires, and claim error if anyone complains.

    Dirty, but not surprising.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Windows 10 - sponsored by the NSA

  11. alain williams Silver badge

    You get what you pay for ...

    is what Microsoft says when trying to tell people that Linux is pants. That doesn't seem to have worked here does it ?

    So: will Microsoft do the honourable thing and pay consumers for their excess data charges ?

    While at it: also pay for people who's broadband limits were blown by them shoving MS Windows 10 at them without asking.

  12. Vince

    "Microsoft is telling Windows 10 mobile users to shut off automatic updates, because a bug is demolishing people's data allowances."

    Ha, if only they'd wake up and realise that the same approach of "being able to turn off updates" is sensible in normal Windows land. We have a client whose internet connectivity is 0.5 meg at most, and ignoring all the other reasons to avoid 10, having an OS where forced updates can't be disabled makes it impossible to consider on that factor alone. And no, it's not feasible or cost effective to roll out domains, wsus and license pro/enterprise versions - especially when the only benefit would be for Microsoft.

    1. Jess

      re: client whose internet connectivity is 0.5 meg

      If this is a professional user, what is the problem?

      It is the domestic version that has no off switch.

      1. Vince

        Re: re: client whose internet connectivity is 0.5 meg

        You clearly haven't used Windows 10. You cannot "disable" updates on Windows 10 Professional. You can merely "defer" them.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lit up forums??

    With only a handful of people owning a windows phone, I somehow doubt a windows phone bug lit up anything

  14. Dave Horn

    You install a preview build, you get what you pay for.

    And how big can a backup of text messages be? I've just had a look at the backup from my old phone on OneDrive and it's 300MB for everything. No offence, but if your data allowance is less than that you should be finding another provider.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      I can get by quite easily with 300MB a month, why would I need to subsidise Microsoft's slurping with my data allowance (which costs me money)?

  15. Schlimnitz

    Periodically I wonder if I should go from 8.1 to 10

    Reset();

  16. KingStephen

    FFS It's a bug in the insider preview, discovered by insider previewers. That's why they run that programme - to help find bugs. If you're going to run a MS scare headline every time one's found you're going to be kept fng busy.

    1. Franco

      I've been running the preview builds for months with little or no issues, but El Reg (who are not alone in this) seem to be spreading a lot of FUD about Microsoft recently. Only surprise is that it wasn't written by Andrew Orlowski this time.

      1. Solmyr ibn Wali Barad

        "spreading a lot of FUD about Microsoft recently"

        It's prevalently FU attitude, not FUD.

        As for Orlowski, try to read his articles from 2012 or so. He was enormously kind towards MS back then.

  17. steamnut

    Rank Amateurs

    Yet another example of Microsoft pushing out an update without thoroughly testing it first. Don't they do walk throughs or carry out regressive testing? They are acting like rank amateurs in a hurry.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who'd a thunk it...

    That the days with Steve Ballmer would seem better than the present!

  19. RW

    No surprise here

    M$ has been pulling this kind of stunt for decades. It's an inevitable side effect of M$'s dedication to software churn. They keep fiddling with the software, so naturally they break it from time to time.

    I've often thought that M$'s problems largely arise because their staff doesn't include enough old grizzled no-nonsense engineers with the authority to tell the youngsters (and the assholes in marketing) that no, you cannot release that software that way.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    What part of 'Preview Edition' didn't lusers understand?

    If you volunteer to test pre-release code, don't be blubbing like big girls when it goes pear-shaped.

    Paris as she has a nice pair.

  21. RobHib
    Devil

    Ha Ha Ha, He He He...

    ...And now for the long-awaited class action law suit.

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