Microsoft backtracks controversial account sign-in change – XDA Developers

Less than a month ago, Microsoft announced that it would keep users logged in to their Microsoft account from February 2025. This move sparked a lot of controversy, especially since it posed a significant cybersecurity threat to those using public PCs or shared devices. Fortunately, the Redmond tech firm has decided to walk back on this change, for now.In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of identity & network access program management, Alex Simmons, noted that:There will be no changes to Microsoft users’ commercial (Microsoft Entra) or consumer (Microsoft account) sign in experiences in February. Media reports were based on incomplete information mistakenly published by a Microsoft product team. The incorrect notifications have been removed.The use of the phrase “in February” in the statement above is rather interesting, as it suggests that these changes will be rolled out at a later point in time. Microsoft’s support article communicating the change is still live, but the text about the problematic sign-in experience has been pulled. The modification to the Microsoft account sign-in experience was also conveyed to Outlook customers via notifications. If the documentation about the implementation remains consistent when the change does roll out, users will not see the “Stay signed in?” prompt when using Microsoft applications. Although this notification can be a nuisance at times, it does warn users to some extent. It will be something to keep in mind for customers who use public PCs and shared devices, as they will have to remember to manually sign out of their Microsoft account after use, or leverage private browsing windows. No reasoning about why this change was (is?) planned has been communicated so far, but it does raise concerns, especially considering the debate regarding Microsoft’s recent notification in Windows Notepad.We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.Your comment has not been savedIf MS does decide to backtrack again then the only place i’ll be signing-in is from home, no more Public access for me…. Suddenly Linux is looking even more attractive. It’s not hard though, just remember to sign out as you should anyway when using a public device.Arg..It is so annoying having to log in every few days to any of their services from my laptop that stays at home. They should just keep the stay signed in button and people can choose to check it or not. Not that it really matters, a week or less later and I’m signed out of some online services they have. I want to stay signed in. They can secure the official Microsoft account, yes, where our payment data is, but not the rest.It’s time to make logging out or using private browsing a regular habitI’ve long been a Windows user, but it might just be time for a change.Here’s how Microsoft saved Apple and extended MS Office for another 5 years after Apple almost went bankrupt Many Microsoft discontinued apps were a lot more stable and reliable than the ones we have today. Here are some forgotten gems that simply worked. Open-source photo management you want to useThese are some of the best PC games history has to offer.

Source: https://www.xda-developers.com/microsoft-backtracks-controversial-account-change/