Apr 27 2022
03:35 PM
- last edited on
Jun 17 2022
01:49 PM
by
TechCommunityAP
Apr 27 2022
03:35 PM
- last edited on
Jun 17 2022
01:49 PM
by
TechCommunityAP
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.
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.
Find out the rest here in the blog post!
Cheers,
Nathan
Office Insider Community Manager
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May 16 2022 10:19 AM - edited May 16 2022 10:43 AM
Having heard old and new may co-exist, and figuring slim to none likelihood of remedy, or even extension of current Quick-Assist support, I just installed the new, twice. Both initially fail, but ultimately working. Hopefully someone finds this useful:
1) a Windows 10 VM that I frequently use for remote support. Mostly generic Windows10, fully updated, but hardly any other software: Result: Fetch and install okay. On first launch, new Quick Assist app hangs for nearly a minute, then fails with unmet dependency: "requires WebView2 runtime".
Am I going to have to walk a user through installing WebView2 runtime as well?
Works after installing the dependency.
2: Windows 11 Pro: As I just installed this OS yesterday, is absolutely a default installation with all Windows Updates applied. It has (1) local user account. Fetch and install from App Store okay (good, no MS Account required). On launch, dialog box with plain blue background and progress circle opens, then a few seconds later, is gone, apparently crashed/closed w/o notice. Launch again, same result. Third try: opens with dialog apparently identical to the prior version, so much so, I thought perhaps I had mistakenly launched the older version. Indeed it is the new.
I was able to share screen between the two.
Re: WebView2: powerful tools, letting Quick-Assist developers make use of all that the WWW has to offer. Seems to me it's likely this change (WebView2) will greatly increase the threat-surface of Quick-Assist. Consistent with the rest of Microsoft Windows philosophy: forcefully include every bleeding toy, widget, app, we didn't ask for, and make it neigh impossible to remove, less you are large enough to buy and manage LTSC. Stated reasons for new version?: none still. (unofficially, I read, now easier to get remote elevation of privileges). We are left to speculate, but probably increased telemetry.
May 16 2022 11:25 PM
To Whom It May Concern,
Please cancel this change ASAP.
Leave Quick Assist inbuilt and use Windows Updates to update.
I work for a major hospital in Australia, and we use Quick Assist all the time.
It will cause major headaches for users Working from Home.
Leave it.
May 17 2022 01:10 AM - edited May 17 2022 01:45 AM
Nathan
Is this April Fools or something?
Seriously, your replacing a working, in place, appropriate solution with a half baked 10 lines of difficult. (edited have to half)
Maybe if you told us what you've broken or what the security issue that you've just found is, it will make it a bit easier, but the App Store is a burning mess.
Seriously this is the equivalent of saying "to make a soufflé you mix some stuff, put it in a thing and wait a while" and then expect an amazing meal.
Why don't you try to involve everyone involved to put together the instructions on how to manage apps in Intune and the App Store, now and after you expire the app store.
Then go find out how to find, patch and update Store Apps when the are vulnerabilities found.
Then show us the next gen deployment of ms store apps.
Once you've wandered through that mess, I'll gladly use your detailed instructions on how to do it and share them with the end users in difficulty.
Or maybe you want me to redeploy SCCM and AOVPN to offer remote assistance that way.
May 17 2022 01:30 AM
@joseph_mcglynn well this has been what MS has been doing for a long time, like Win11 just randomly dropping things like the ability to move your taskbar onto a different side of your screen or choosing to not combine open windows of the same program, or the timeline feature, although none of these are as big as the removal of a well working quick assist tool.
May 17 2022 04:11 AM
This cannot be spun in any other way than purely negative.
Quick Assist was one of the better products/tools Microsoft had produced in recent years, and now in true Microsoft fashion, they're undoing that good work.
There's much this post fails to cover:
May 17 2022 05:22 AM
May 17 2022 06:57 AM
Isn't this a contradiction?
@Nathan_Pfeifer wrote:To keep your remote assistance sessions secure, you will need to download the new Quick Assist from the Microsoft Store.
[...]
it is also available as an offline app for distribution and can be accessed via the Microsoft Store for Business. More details are here: Distribute offline apps (Windows 10) | Microsoft Docs
Users need a new secure app from the store, but admins can keep deploying an outdated (therefore unsecure) version as an offline app. Users are unable to update the app without admin rights, and the admin won't update the offline app, because it is working...
May 17 2022 10:39 AM
May 18 2022 07:32 AM - edited May 18 2022 07:32 AM
There is something strange when you try to install the store-app without admin rights. There is a screen asking to enter the account details but when just just close it, it still installs the store app. Same thing happens when you distibute the app with Endpoint. Users get a pop up screen out of nowhere and when they close it the apps installs as jou would expect. So why ask for admin rights if they are not needed?
I also noticed that the warning in the old Quick assist app that there is a new version that should be installed has disappeared. Is this for a reason? Maybe because there was a lot of critic?
May 18 2022 07:53 AM - edited May 18 2022 07:54 AM
I'm already running into issues with my Win10 PRO machine. Installed quickassist through the store, once I launch it, I receive the following message "The requested operation requires elevation" for "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MicrosoftCorporationII.QuickAssist_2.0.6.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\QuickAssist.exe"
I've been through all kinds of permission settings (reg keys, files..). Nothing seems to be different than another Win10 Pro or win 11 machine which works fine. Also other store apps work fine.
Also, what about Win LTSC? Currently QuickAssist works and makes our life easier. But moving to the store app makes things difficult, no store within LTSC build. I already tried using the offline installation(Appxbundle), but Quickassist gives the same error, as my normal Win10 Pro machine. I even added the Windows Store on LTSC, just to see if that makes any difference.
May 18 2022 10:40 AM
@Nathan_Pfeifer this is another enormous fail for Microsoft. The Experiences + Devices team needs to learn how the customers are using the tools before they make changes that remove all the benefits.
Our enterprise adopted Quick Assist as our remove support tool, completely replacing a third party product because:
1) It was native to Windows 10, and subsequently Windows 11.
2) NO ADDITIONAL COST or LICENSING required
3) No deployment tools required. Just point the end user to the search bar, type "quick assist" and click on the icon. As simple as falling off a log.
Russell Mosier and Bianca Taylor, from the Experiences + Devices team should not be excited. They should be ashamed that their company ignored the end user experience, in favor of software development ease.
There may be a compromise, but right now you are losing customers for that app. The Enterprise is still your bread and butter Microsoft, if you are going to empower the end user, you have to do so within the enterprise operational security models.
In our eyes, learn from your mistake and put it back into the OS, natively, where it belongs
May 18 2022 11:37 AM
We have updated the blog post with a FAQ of some of the most asked questions thus far: Remote assistance with Quick Assist is changing (office.com)
Of course these are not answering all of your questions but this thread is being looked at and your feedback is helping (so thank you for sending!).
Nathan
May 18 2022 12:26 PM - edited May 18 2022 12:28 PM
Just the addition of adding alphanumeric to the code equation makes what was once a ridiculously simple way to connect that much more of a pain. "A as in apple S as in Sam, did you say F? NO S!, P as in Paul, did you say T? OMFG as in ... well never mind...
I didn't even have to tell them to type Quick Assist in the search box, it was TWO KEYTAPS, tap Windows and type the letter Q, in a sea of consumer fails, this was something Microsoft got right, big time. I too who only support regular consumers, was saving a TON OF $$ by not having to subscribe to overpriced remote control solutions.
I have so far not done the update, as I am waiting waiting, to make sure my end users who can barely use a mouse let alone deal with the Store can deal with the change, I may be over reacting but the alpha numeric is already a PIA.
May 18 2022 01:00 PM
For all the admins out there, like me, please follow the tutorial below to install the new Quick Assist for All Users without using the Microsoft Store:
Follow this Site's tutorial to download the Quick Assist AppxBundle directly from the Store: https://lazyadmin.nl/it/install-microsoft-store-apps-without-store/
Run this PowerShell command (in Administrator Mode) to install it for all users (change the packagepath if stored elsewhere): DISM /online /add-provisionedappxpackage /packagepath:"C:\Temp\MicrosoftCorporationII.QuickAssist_2022.509.2259.0_neutral___8wekyb3d8bbwe.AppxBundle" /skiplicense
To remove the old Quick Assist from the Start Menu delete this shortcut: "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Quick Assist.lnk" and if you want the old version fully gone then remove it from here as well: C:\WINDOWS\system32\quickassist.exe
Good luck, but Microsoft still sucks for changing it.
May 19 2022 01:47 AM
May 19 2022 01:57 AM
May 19 2022 05:03 PM
@Nathan_PfeiferThis is a terrible terrible change; "exciting" but for all the wrong reasons. Finally after 30 years MS had a built-in, simple-to-use tool that was a few clicks and/or words over the phone away from helping an ad-hoc user.
Moving the app to the Store, and requiring admin permissions to install it -- please remove the word "Quick" from the title. Half the battle with end-users is just getting to the point you can see their screen. 80 year old grandmas can use quick assist in its current form. Once its in the Store? That's it for the tool. Might as well stop development on it as everyone will move back to other soon-to-be-quicker-than-quick-assist-again tools.
Question: are you trying to kill it off? If so... this will do it.
May 21 2022 04:39 PM
May 22 2022 06:59 AM
Further more to my previous post.
Windows Store presents a security threat by the following:
1. Leaving additional ports open on a secure network.
2. Windows Store does not provide a secure GPO Policy for QuickAssist to be included within Windows Remote Desktop.
3. Windows Store does not include any admin/GPO policies for deployment, update and rollback policies.
We work in Hospital setting where we need secure information, Windows Store does not include this facility.
It is better for QuickAssist Updates to be included in Windows Updates, SCCM for Deployment.