Products · Pattern or everyday thing
Software updates
Raised as a usability problem by 29 people on Hacker News over 16 years (2010–2025), in 32 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Update pop-ups interrupt work and must be opted out of repeatedlyUnreviewed
20102026- Users with many apps must update constantly, facing frequent update prompts2025-04-29
- Frequent random update popups interrupt work when many programs update monthly2023-05-09
- Update prompts interrupt users mid-task, forcing install now or repeated nagging on next launch2020-12-23
Updates can make the device unusableUnreviewed
20102026- Updates make devices hard to use, leaving people struggling with their computers2025-07-07
- Updates often break working features or change things users don't want2016-02-04
- Updates can make the device unusable, leaving the user unable to operate it2015-11-06
Updates bring unwanted UI changes, removed features and slowdownsUnreviewed
20102026- Updates suddenly change the UI with no warning, making things worse for users2025-12-01
- Updates shuffle the UI around, making things worse for users2025-01-29
- Updates bring unwanted UI changes, removed features, bloat, and slowdowns2022-10-17
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 31 complaints
- Updates suddenly change the UI with no warning, making things worse for users2025-12-01
- Older iPads and iPhones become too sluggish to use after OS updates2025-11-16
- Updates make devices hard to use, leaving people struggling with their computers2025-07-07
- Users with many apps must update constantly, facing frequent update prompts2025-04-29
- Redesigns with new buttons, options and menus disrupt workflows people have learned2025-02-09
- Updates shuffle the UI around, making things worse for users2025-01-29
- Programs take 20+ seconds to open after a large update on slow internet2024-10-31
- Update and changelog popups block users at launch when they want to start using the app2024-03-18
- Frequent random update popups interrupt work when many programs update monthly2023-05-09
- Updates bring unwanted UI changes, removed features, bloat, and slowdowns2022-10-17
- Constantly shifting interfaces and removed functionality waste users' time and cause stress2022-07-11
- Updates bundle UX redesigns and removed features with security fixes, with no way to get only fixes2021-02-23
- Update prompts interrupt users mid-task, forcing install now or repeated nagging on next launch2020-12-23
- Constant UI rearrangements leave people relearning where everything is2020-09-26
- Updates delete features users depend on, cripple functions, or force logins2020-08-27
- Security fixes bundled with UI changes force users to relearn interfaces before getting patches2020-01-02
- Security and bug fixes arrive bundled with unwanted UI redesigns and features2019-07-26
- Keeps nagging users with dark-pattern prompts to accept updates2018-04-26
- Progress bar shows inaccurate time estimates and inches along without revealing what is slow2017-12-19
- After patching, must manually rebuild postgres, bash, vim, browser and repl state, which is tedious2017-06-14
- Updates to newer versions demand more resources, making old computers slower and things move around2017-05-14
- Update popups interrupt work and force decisions, waits and clicks mid-task2017-02-14
- Update pop-up dialogs interrupt work and must be opted out of repeatedly2016-11-04
- Updates often break working features or change things users don't want2016-02-04
- User has to relaunch the updater to see that the fix worked2015-12-18
- Updates can make the device unusable, leaving the user unable to operate it2015-11-06
- Hard for non-experts to tell legitimate update prompts from malicious ones2015-07-23
- Update prompts keep reappearing, and the option to stop them is hidden in a help menu2013-07-19
- Family members see update prompts they don't understand and close them, then call for help2013-05-27
- Update made the product completely unusable for the user2012-07-28
- Frequent updates bring new instructions and layouts that infrequent users must re-learn each time2011-06-23