Windows: Edge 123.0.2420.65 update from March 2024 unintentionally brings co-pilot app; no "spy function"

[German]An "accidental" update to the Microsoft Edge browser at the end of March 2024 led to parts of the Copilot app being installed on Windows 10/11 and Server. Microsoft states that this was not intentional and emphasizes that this app "does not perform any spying functions" – a remarkable statement. They want to correct this with the next update.

It is now well known that Microsoft does not have its processes under control and is responsible for every piece of dirt that is flushed onto users' systems in the daily update madness or happens in the cloud. The fact that Microsoft rolls out software that simply works and does what the user needs or expects is now considered fake news.

On April 15, 2024, a blog reader had already pointed out a problem with Microsoft Edge to me via the above tweet – an app "Microsoft Copilot" with a size of 8 KB suddenly appeared on his Windows Server 2022 (for private reasons, however, I could not investigate the issue).

Edge 123.0.2420.65 installs AI app

It is a remarkable message that Microsoft published in the Windows 11 Release Health status area on April 16, 2024, and explained the issue. Titled Edge updates might cause Microsoft Copilot app to show up in Installed apps, it states that Edge_Browser updates to version 123.0.2420.65 (released on March 28, 2024) and later may incorrectly install a new package (MSIX) called "Microsoft Chat Provider for Copilot in Windows" on Windows systems. Affected by this mishap are:

• Client: Windows 11 version 21H2 – 23H2, Windows Windows 10 version 22H2
• Server: Windows Server 2022

According to Microsoft, this error could cause the Microsoft Copilot app to be displayed in the Settings menu under "Installed apps". I checked with Microsoft, on this Microsoft page Edge 123.0.2420.65 is listed in the release notes of the stable channel with "bug fixes". But some administrators may have noticed that the Microsoft Copilot app appears in Edge on a Windows Server 2022.

It was a bug, no "spy function" on board

In the support article, Microsoft now writes that the installed package serves to "prepare some Windows devices for future activation of Windows Copilot" and is not intended for all devices. Although the component installed as part of this issue may cause the Microsoft Copilot app to appear as part of the installed apps, Microsoft Copilot will not be fully installed or activated by this component.

Or in a nutshell: A mistake has been made and unfinished code has been dumped onto users' Windows systems with Edge. It's a shame that this has now come to light – it will only be discovered at a later date.

In this context, Microsoft emphasizes that the Microsoft chat provider for Copilot in Windows does not execute any code or process and does not collect, analyze or transmit any device or environmental data. There are therefore no spying functions (at least not at the present time). Can also be translated into German: "Guys, we don't really know exactly what we do in the development process and what is then somehow dumped onto your systems. But we can already assure you that none of these are spy functions."

Let me put it this way: in a car, the manufacturer would have been kicked out everywhere long ago if it acted like this. With Microsoft, there is no alternative and the manufacturer "assures us that everything is ok".

Long story short, Microsoft is terribly sorry. As part of the upcoming fix for this issue, Microsoft says it will remove the chat provider for Copilot in the Windows component from devices where Microsoft Copilot should not be enabled or installed. This includes most Windows Server devices. Microsoft is working on a solution for this and plans to provide an update in one of the next versions of Microsoft Edge.