Forum Discussion
Nathan_Pfeifer
Microsoft
MicrosoftRemote assistance with Quick Assist is changing
Hi Insiders! Russell Mosier and Bianca Taylor, from the Experiences + Devices team are excited to share an upcoming change to their remote assistance app, Quick Assist.
Remote assistance with Quick Assist
Quick Assist is an app in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that enables you to receive or provide assistance with your PC over a remote connection. The current built-in Quick Assist app is reaching end of service.
To keep your remote assistance sessions secure, you will need to download the new Quick Assist from the Microsoft Store.
How it works
- Select Start > Microsoft Store.
- In the Microsoft Store window, type Quick Assist in the Search box.
- Click Quick Assist in the list, and then click the Get button.
Find out the rest here in the blog post!
Cheers,
Nathan
Office Insider Community Manager
Become an Office Insider and gaining exclusive access to new features and help shape the future of Office. Join Now: Windows | Mac | iOS | Android
Yep updated and no longer works using company email. Great job. Thanks Microcrap
This is unfortunately a complete disaster and unfortunate choice on behalf of Microsoft.
Took a great feature which was built into the OS, and moved it out to a new distribution channel (ie: the MS Store). I fail to understand the logic behind some of the answers in the Office insider Blog.
--------
Why was Quick Assist moved to the Store?
We moved Quick Assist to enhance the performance and security of the app. You should see a significant improvement in passcode generation times and a reduction in application errors.
---------
How does moving an app to a different distribution channel enhance its performance and it's security ? So it's like saying something like Windows Defender would be better off being distributed through the MS Store since it would perform better and be more secure 😞 Come on, let's get real. Also Adding alphanumeric now , even though is tolerable, I think is overkill. Add a few more digits and you should be fine. Already the codes are only valid for 10 minutes, then when you connect, they see the email of the user that is requesting connection permission, and then also need to click and give you permission. It is not like RDP where as long as a remote user knows your IP/username/password they could get in. With Quick Access, it already needs to be synchronized and window of opportunity for any brute force attack is not huge.
I understand that there were security concerns for other various reasons. But they could have easily been addressed and rolled out as part of a regular windows update, to update the integrated app. Or just included it in the next Windows release (22H2).
Already in the last month, I have tried to jump through hoops trying to help 3 elderly family friends who live a decent distance away (one is even in another country). In the past it was simple to just launch quick assist and help them out. Now I have to "try" to guide them through to the microsoft store (which they have never used before), and navigate to find and install the new app (and needed to answer "yes" to 2 runprocess type UAC prompts in in the process). Then after you go through this painful process (since many are barely comfortable using computers), you have them launch it and realize it complains about the lack of the WebView II Runtime 😞 Great.. But obviously, it would make too much sense if that was ALSO available in the MS Store (or downloaded and installed automatically), but it is NOT. Then you get them to close the store, open a browser, do a search for "webview runtime", make sure they go to the correct web page, download the correct version for their machine. Then spend time having them locate the file they downloaded (since their browser was set to auto download without prompting). Then click the executable to install the Webview II runtime.
Needless to say, that many get so frustrated, that they just give up before you even get to installing the Webview runtime, and tell you to "forget it, too complicated, if you are ever in the area, let me know".
Complete failure, for something that could have easily addressed any vulnerabilities by distributing a NEW version as part of a normal Windows update (like it was done ages ago with Windows 7 and the MSTSC/RDP upgrades to address security issues also). And it would have been nice and transparent to most users.
Another poor decision, is that even if you do get it all installed, and then you connect and eventually PIN it to the start menu, all you see is the ICON, with no text saying "Quick Access". 99.999% of other icons have text saying "Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Calculator, Microsoft Mahjong, etc..". Hell even if you pin the CMD prompt to the start menu and is says "Command Prompt". Would it have been so difficult to include the App Name ? Now all you see is a plain blue icon with no description.
The other disappointment is this decision:
-------
Will Quick Assist only be available in the Store going forward?
The Quick Assist Store app will be preinstalled in the next update for Windows 11. Users who are currently part of the Windows Insiders program can test this today.
Note: Windows 10 users will continue to download the Store app.
---------
Why not also include it preinstalled with the next version of Windows 10 (22H2), and at the same time make sure that CTRL+WIN+Q shortcut brings up the new version.
And this is using it in home environments, where most people are setup as Administrators on their PCs. Must be a bigger nightmare for corporate helpdesks where most machines are locked down.
Hope Microsoft changes their mind and switches it back to an integrated application. Basic little application, but super useful when it is INCLUDED in the OS and you can count on it being there without explaining to a remote user how to install it and it's prerequisites.
- Don't forget the addition of letters in the security code?! What a way to slow down being able to connect quickly. Now I have to sound like I'm pretending to be in the military. Your code is "One, Whiskey, Bravo, Three, Charlie, Alpha". Seriously MS?! I can have people enter 9 digits faster than this cluster of a code. Don't be lazy, just include more digits instead of adding more choices to the 6 digits you already have here. *Sigh*
Please leave it so Domain Admins do not have to login to install and update it. Any user should be allowed to do it. As well as don't make it only accessible via the Store.
- Thanks for your help & making better.
- ??? it's work?
They are not making this application better, they are forcing people to use their App Store which is not suited for Corporate Environment. Let alone Home Users.
Gee, Thanks! This really sucks **bleep**! I tried (in person) to show my 88 year-old father how to use Quick Assist to let me into his PC to fix his issues, when he calls me at home, 30 miles away. I have used it with a few other people over the last few months, ever since I found out about it, and found it a great tool to fix my family members computer issues. I tried to update Quick Assist by going to the Microsoft Store, as directed, and received dialogue demanding that I log into my Microsoft Account, or create one. My father does not have one, because he does not use Microsoft email products (but I do). I do NOT want to create a Microsoft Account for him, as this will further confuse him, and create more issues. Why the Hell did Microsoft have to f--- -p a good thing, which worked perfectly, and was simple enough that I could help my elderly parents with their inevitable computer issues, which they always call me about.
Then I come home, research the problem, and find out that this is DELIBERATE! )_))(*&*^^%$#@!!
Thanks a lot, MICROSOFT!!
Please change this; through Windows Update would be great. I try to keep all my machines updated, even though this is a trying task, because there is so much updating happening, all the time.
Your new Quick Assist update policy will force everybody to try to thing like a System Admin, which most users are NOT!!
PLEASE FIX THIS!!
Thanks for letting me vent--Dave
- Broken some more: helping a very computer illiterate client. As it happens, this is first time attempting to use remote assist since April, so new App Not Yet installed. I ask her to press Win+CTRL+Q. It complains no network. Walk her through connecting to WiFi. Old QuickAssist just sits there. Well maybe it never noticed net now connected. Okay, kill it and start it again. She does. Progress-wheel spinning... nothing more. Apparently old quick-assist can't even lead us to the store any more. I help her open the store, search, get, install, (enter Admin credentials). We've now been on the phone nearly 20 minutes, just to establish sharing of desktop. Hate MS for doing this. Surely there is some evil business reason. Please share.
ShawnZ1HIf I had to guess, I would say, because it was done on short notice, there was some major vulnerability in the original. Also, you must now sign in to Microsoft or a domain to be a helper, so this gives some sort of trust to the helper. Still, it was a big mistake to make it a dumbed-down unmanageable, incompatible store app instead of patching the original.
- I am suprised to see that out of 30K views, there are only 114 Replies!
People are losing hope that they can make a difference.
In my opinion, replacing the built-in Quick Assist with the App store version is one of Microsoft's worst decisions in recent years!You're right. I'm following the thread since weeks but Microsoft did it so wrong that I join the army.
I work for University labs : I can't assist my users anymore and I had to purchase a TeamViewer licence in emergency.
By the way, even when installed with admin rights, it doesn't work with Win10 ARM...
Epic fail from Microsoft...
Nathan_Pfeifer
Just tried to install version 2.0.7.0 via Intune. Non admins still getting UAC prompt but install goes through if you click No. We can't have 2000 users getting this pop up during installation what is the ETA on the UAC prompt removal.
Also after installing latest Store App the old App is still visible if you use the search box and type "Quick Assist". Only one shortcut on the start menu but users are still going to get confused.Nathan_Pfeifer This has got to be the worst mistake Microsoft has made since Window ME. You took a great support tool for IT Admins and have made it useless by moving it to the Microsoft Store. If you at least provided an MSI so we could deploy by GPO, it might be workable.
- Whoever decided to do this, deserves to be fired.
This is the absolute dumbest move from Microsoft in recent history.
I can no longer natively assist my grandmother remotely, and helping people at work is hell.- You can do assistance via Teams if you have that, but you can't (at least couldn't) interact with UAC prompts.
For you Gran you can always get Team Viewer installed I guess.
