Spotify mysteriously installs itself on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs and appears in the taskbar when you start your PC, and I've had the pleasure of experiencing it myself.
Booting up my PC this week, I found the Spotify icon glowing on my taskbar while other apps were also starting up. It's an app I use daily on my iPhone and Mac, but it's never been on my PC because it's only used for gaming.
This was the fastest uninstall I've done in years, because it's not just a bug, but a potential security hole. I did not allow this app to install on my PC and although I have contacted Microsoft for comment, it made me wonder why this happened without warning.
We've been here before, but it was with a caveat.
Another situation that comes to mind is when Apple and U2 reached an agreement to make the band's album, "Songs of Innocence (opens in new tab)", available to users as a gift, on the occasion of the release of the iPhone 6 and 6. More. Models in 2014.
Users weren't happy either, as some would have a mix of Euro-Dance albums and the new U2 release, making for a nice icebreaker on one side of the spectrum and awkward conversation on the other.
However, it could be a feature. The Microsoft Store is known (opens in a new tab) to install apps on its own, with games and other Microsoft utilities appearing on your taskbar. But the company didn't tell its Windows users about Spotify's availability through the Store this week, so the only reaction I and other users feel is embarrassment.
Let's hope that Microsoft responds to this strange appearance of a third-party app soon, as it could be an imminent PR disaster.