Microsoft Forced-Installs OneDrive Photos App on Windows 11 PCs

Microsoft has been under fire for force-installing its OneDrive Photos app on Windows 11 PCs, sparking outrage among users. The company initially refused to explain the rollout but eventually admitted that it had indeed installed the app on consumer devices without user consent.

The new OneDrive Photos app includes an AI-powered 'People' feature, which allows for face grouping in photos stored locally on the PC. However, Microsoft denied claims that it trains its models on users' faces, stating that any data collected is permanently removed within 30 days of turning off the feature.

The company explained that the new OneDrive Photos app was meant to be installed only on consumer PCs but inadvertently ended up being pushed to enterprise devices as well. Microsoft has promised an update to allow users to remove the app separately from the OneDrive sync client, which is currently not possible.