‘Automating the user away’ has been designated as a dark pattern in literature for performing tasks without user consent or confirmation. The automaticity of computing systems has emerged as an ethical concern in different contexts such as privacy, proxemic interactions, and e-commerce. However, limited studies have been reported on how users experience a sense of autonomy when digital systems fully or partially bypass consent. More research is required to understand what makes automaticity a threat to autonomy. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative interview study on the topic of automatic software updates (n = 10). The use case of Microsoft Windows was chosen to understand the felt impact of automatic updates on autonomy. In Windows, a user’s operating system can sometimes update at critical moments without their consent. We acknowledge that updates can be essential for the functioning of any software, be it desktops, smartphones, mobile applications, smart IoT devices, etc. While automaticity without consent can serve functional purposes, it may also be perceived as problematic in some contexts or by some users. From the interviews, we found that ten design features of Windows updates can impact users’ autonomy experience. For each design feature, we identified the factors which influence its impact on autonomy. The findings of this paper can help designers understand potential ethical concerns posed by automaticity in design and identify measures to mitigate these concerns.