Permanently disable telemetry reminders (opt-out)

[Roter Rabe]

As per this thread:

https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=12321.0

I'd like to request a feature that enables users to permanently disable telemetry reminders.

We have discussed the pros and cons of telemetry reminders already. I do not think the cons apply to an opt-out option somewhere buried in the menu system. Only users motivated enough to turn the reminders off will use it and those are users who have already made up their mind about not using telemetry anyway. For those users, no amount of reminders will make them change their minds and it will remove an annoying nudge that has no positive effect on them anyways.

Thank you for considering!

[sinus]

I know such reminders from other software, from newsletters, websites and so on.
And I do not like it, if it is too often, I begin to almost hate such messages.

Well, IMatch is for me, of course, a exception, I have enabled telemetry (uh, I have to check this), and that is it for me.
But generelly, I am against such reminders.

To put it off and forget it is another problem. For some software I can disable the check for updates. I did so, to lern 1 year later, that two updates I missed and in one specific case an important one.
There I was disapointed, that I did uncheck the button to check for updates.

This means, totally put off is not a clever idea, for me.
But what would be thinkable for me, give the user the possibility to reminds me not so often, say something like "reminds me in 4 month again".
That would not make it possible to "forget it", but on the other hand such a reminder after 3 or 4 month would not be that bad, I think.

Just my 2cents, I personally have not such a problem with IMatch, but would love to have such a possibility for other digital products.

[Roter Rabe]

I think we really need to differentiate between update reminders and reminders to switch telemetry on. Mario has already pointed out the utility of an update reminder. I am totally behind that.

For telemetry reminders, not so much. I have decided I do not want to take part in telemetry. This is a conscious and deliberate decision made out of principle. No amount of reminders is going to change my mind on this. Quite the opposite in fact, because I just get annoyed. In fact, one of the reasons I got IMatch in the first place was because I was so fed-up with Adobe's aggressive telemetry.

Now, I don't know how many people think like me. But for me, the reminders serve no purpose at all.

I get the utility behind making it opt-out. Mario said he uses telemetry to improve the product and wants as many people as possible to use it. Great, I get that. But for the people who did make the final decision not to use it, there should be a hard-to-get-to option to switch it off.

[Mario]

I think clicking OK once every 30 days is not that much of a burden.
I might be wrong. If we get, say, 10 users to +1 for this, I will give you an option to permanently disable the telemetry prompt.
We have too many options in IMatch already, so one option more or less won't harm.

[Aubrey]

-1000  hopefully will override +10
Limited resources need to be dedicated to what users use.
I trust Mario in his usage of data. 
He does what he says... e.g., cleaning the forum when people posting facial images, inadvertently posting private data etc.
Most companies I opt out, but for Mario it's  different. I consider IMatch users to be a lucky elite group who have the best DAM, that others have to appreciate.
Aubrey

[Jingo]

-1000  hopefully will override +10
Limited resources need to be dedicated to what users use.
I trust Mario in his usage of data. 
He does what he says... e.g., cleaning the forum when people posting facial images, inadvertently posting private data etc.
Most companies I opt out, but for Mario it's  different. I consider IMatch users to be a lucky elite group who have the best DAM, that others have to appreciate.
Aubrey

Me too.. I think it is critical for a developer to know how the software is most (and least) utilized... why spend development hours on functionality that only 1% of the userbase uses while ignoring the part that 95% use..?  If telemetry data is anonymous and used only for the development of the software - I fully welcome telemetry tracking.  I'm pretty sure 50% of the apps on my phone are sending data all over the internet... and most don't offer an opt-out.

[monochrome]

+1 please make IMatch understand that no is no

[Roter Rabe]

-1000  hopefully will override +10
Limited resources need to be dedicated to what users use.
I trust Mario in his usage of data. 
He does what he says... e.g., cleaning the forum when people posting facial images, inadvertently posting private data etc.
Most companies I opt out, but for Mario it's  different. I consider IMatch users to be a lucky elite group who have the best DAM, that others have to appreciate.
Aubrey

Me too.. I think it is critical for a developer to know how the software is most (and least) utilized... why spend development hours on functionality that only 1% of the userbase uses while ignoring the part that 95% use..?  If telemetry data is anonymous and used only for the development of the software - I fully welcome telemetry tracking.  I'm pretty sure 50% of the apps on my phone are sending data all over the internet... and most don't offer an opt-out.

Just to be clear: the request is not to remove telemetry alltogether. The request is the ability to opt out of reminders for people who absolutely, positively do not want it.

[Mario]

You can totally opt out of telemetry.
The only issue discussed here is whether or not IMatch asking you once every 30 days if you want to allow telemetry for the good of the project and all other users is too much of a burden.

I have designed it that way because many users opt out of telemetry because of a reflex and because they have heard so many bad things done with telemetry by the likes of Google, Facebook, all the apps running on your smart phone (where you cannot even opt out in most cases).
My assumption is that people, after having worked with IMatch for some weeks, maybe discussed problems with me or other IMatch users, see telemetry in IMatch as that what is is: an effective method to help me understand what is used and what is not, and where to place my resources. Which errors users run into and what I should look into etc.
Every couple of weeks I make some rough stats for my purposes and then delete the data (I have only limited space on my server).

[akirot]

+1
Actually IMatch asks twice! every 30 days ("Are you sure...?")
I think it's a nuisance and a product with the exceptional quailty like IMatch doesn't need this approach!

Probably a question after each installation/update would do?

[AT]

+1 for asking once.

I think clicking OK once every 30 days is not that much of a burden.
I might be wrong. If we get, say, 10 users to +1 for this, I will give you an option to permanently disable the telemetry prompt.
We have too many options in IMatch already, so one option more or less won't harm.

No option required. It's enough to ask once and respect the user's choice.

I'd be ok if iMatch were to ask again when I upgrade to a new major version.

I feel that iMatch / Mario generally does respect the user and the user's privacy. The repeated telemetry questions are an exception.

[sinus]

+1 for asking once.

I think clicking OK once every 30 days is not that much of a burden.
I might be wrong. If we get, say, 10 users to +1 for this, I will give you an option to permanently disable the telemetry prompt.
We have too many options in IMatch already, so one option more or less won't harm.

No option required. It's enough to ask once and respect the user's choice.

I'd be ok if iMatch were to ask again when I upgrade to a new major version.

I feel that iMatch / Mario generally does respect the user and the user's privacy. The repeated telemetry questions are an exception.

Hm, the first post here and then a plus for the feature Request.
Curious ... 

[ColinIM]

+1 also for asking once, or for asking (maybe again) on each IMatch upgrade.

On telemetry from software on my computers I make a sole exception for IMatch, and I willingly enable it because I trust Mario and I accept his purposes for, and his use of 'my' telemetry.

As a consequence, in my IMatch sessions I do not see those recurring reminders to enable telemetry, but I can say for certain that if I ever decided that I did not want to send this telemetry I would be seriously annoyed by any recurring 'prods' or 'nudges' to change my mind.

With due respect, I would want "Off" to mean "Off".

[Roter Rabe]

You can totally opt out of telemetry.
The only issue discussed here is whether or not IMatch asking you once every 30 days if you want to allow telemetry for the good of the project and all other users is too much of a burden.

I have designed it that way because many users opt out of telemetry because of a reflex and because they have heard so many bad things done with telemetry by the likes of Google, Facebook, all the apps running on your smart phone (where you cannot even opt out in most cases).
My assumption is that people, after having worked with IMatch for some weeks, maybe discussed problems with me or other IMatch users, see telemetry in IMatch as that what is is: an effective method to help me understand what is used and what is not, and where to place my resources. Which errors users run into and what I should look into etc.
Every couple of weeks I make some rough stats for my purposes and then delete the data (I have only limited space on my server).

I absolutely understand. And I never questioned the utility of telemetry for you or your respect for users' privacy. But for people who do deliberately decide not to partake in telemetry, there currently is no option to turn the reminders off. After the 10th reminder or so, I think most users will have made up their minds.

Hm, the first post here and then a plus for the feature Request.
Curious ... 

Yeah, that's not me if that's what you are insinuating. I believe IPs are logged here so I guess there's a way for Mario to find out.

[RobiWan]

I'd like to request a feature that enables users to permanently disable telemetry reminders.

+1

Cheers Robert

[Mario]

I have changed this as outlined in #1662 in the https://www.photools.com/release-notes/.

[Roter Rabe]

I have changed this as outlined in #1662 in the https://www.photools.com/release-notes/.

Sorry, I missed your update. Thank you very much. I really appreciate your work. Cheers.