This is Steam's community forums, not Microsoft's. For issues with Microsoft games or accounts, contact Microsoft support. You may also wish to post in the forum for that game, though you're better off contacting Microsoft than the community.

Originally posted by Hi Im Swat:

This is Steam's community forums, not Microsoft's. For issues with Microsoft games or accounts, contact Microsoft support. You may also wish to post in the forum for that game, though you're better off contacting Microsoft than the community.

I bought this game here on Steam and your answer is not what I need right now. Do you perhaps find it concerning that Microsoft demands all my personal data just to play this F-ing game?

Originally posted by Promi:

I bought this game here on Steam and your answer is not what I need right now. Do you perhaps find it concerning that Microsoft demands all my personal data just to play this F-ing game?

I'm not sure what answer you need right now, but you are asking "why Microsoft" when no one here can give you that answer. For all we know, it could be a bug. It's best you contact them about it and see if you can get answers that way.

do they offer a way to contact them with the phone request message...

Which account did you buy the game as it can only be in that accound its tied to it. If you placed it into this locked account it wont work.

I entered my phone number, had to play a 5 stage game to prove I'm not a robot, then I received four digit code and now I'm in game playing. All ''achievements'' in training I've done yesterday are gone, all settings had to be redone. Right now I'm losing my mind with a damn controller I have never liked using, but it is better for flying. If I get one phone call from abroad with MS involved or getting my personal data sold to who knows who, I swear I'll sue them. Every single game I ever played has never asked me to provide personal information about me. It said Microsoft has detected some kind of violation of some agreement so that is the reason for giving my number. I wonder what's next, liver health maybe?
This is what you get when a company has a complete monopoly over the world. I have nothing to hide, but that doesn't mean I have to give my life to unknown shady people who will abuse my identity to gain something, while throwing me under the bus. We live in a world of AI and just a pinch of personal information can end up who knows where. Someone might murder a person 5000 km away and just provide my ID. Can you imagine the problems I would go through or anybody else who gives info online. The moment you connect online they already have all the info over your IP address, if you give them that yourself they cannot be blamed.

Originally posted by Promi:

Originally posted by Hi Im Swat:

This is Steam's community forums, not Microsoft's. For issues with Microsoft games or accounts, contact Microsoft support. You may also wish to post in the forum for that game, though you're better off contacting Microsoft than the community.

I bought this game here on Steam and your answer is not what I need right now. Do you perhaps find it concerning that Microsoft demands all my personal data just to play this F-ing game?

Well, technically, Microsoft Corporation ties your whole system data to a game. And vice versa. The phone number is the least of the problems, even if it represents a personal data record.

This starts with unlawful data collection which games you start (not only MS games) with the help of A/B tests by XBox Gamebar Software, this continues with explicit login to the Microsoft Partner Network (linked Windows account and data linked to it), keystroke logging (depending on the software/widget), unauthorized uploads of files, overwriting the local account by logging into a Microsoft game. Plus Bing, MS WebView as permanent telemetry and data monitoring services, geodata localization e.g. The latest additions are Recall and CoPilot, which also work with Webview. The list could go on and on...

Unfortunately, many consumers do not care about such behavior. Consumption first, entertainment anyway and everything else doesn't matter.

The only thing that helps (and not against everything)
- Do not install, start or buy any Microsoft games. This includes also mobile products
- Block all outgoing connections from the operating system as far as possible
- Use a local Windows account
- Windows System hardening
- Do not use the MS app store or other MS software. If it cannot be avoided block connections as far as possible

Microsoft unfortunately takes everything they can get. Legal, illegal and everything in the legal gray area. End consumers must take action themselves.

Apart from complaints to the data protection authorities and consumer protection, the only other option is to refrain and avoid as much as possible.

And as a counter question, why should consumers pay a company for such behavior? It's actually pretty stupid.

Originally posted by Jaunitta 🌸:

Which account did you buy the game as it can only be in that accound its tied to it. If you placed it into this locked account it wont work.

I think this is actually incorrect, MS games are the only ones on Steam that I know that let you freely switch accounts on the title screen, license is fully tied to Steam, you can use any Xbox profile.

Originally posted by Promi:

I bought Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 yesterday, created an account in order to only play this game. Today I wanted to continue when again I need to sign in with this account, when I get warning it is locked. In order for me to play this game I now must give them my phone number for extra verification and spam avoidance. Not a single game developer has ever asked me for my phone number. Why Microsoft?

Refund if you can. And try again. Also, if your Windows is legal, use that account. But as you buy from Steam, it should not ask for anything you haven't provided Steam with already.


ONE MORE THING - as I own a copy of AoE2DE, I bet it is the same process for all their games, you should be able to link your Steam account and not create a dedicated Microsoft-XBOX one.

Originally posted by Promi:

Originally posted by Hi Im Swat:

This is Steam's community forums, not Microsoft's. For issues with Microsoft games or accounts, contact Microsoft support. You may also wish to post in the forum for that game, though you're better off contacting Microsoft than the community.

I bought this game here on Steam and your answer is not what I need right now. Do you perhaps find it concerning that Microsoft demands all my personal data just to play this F-ing game?

Keep cool. They, including the whole Silicon Valley, already know everything about you.

Originally posted by Brulikrax:

Refund if you can. And try again. Also, if your Windows is legal, use that account. But as you buy from Steam, it should not ask for anything you haven't provided Steam with already.

About refund, download took me just above two hours to complete. I've read many had the same issue. Right now it's working. Unfortunately I have no other choice but to use a copy of operating system which is already few years old, but I do intend to buy Windows this or next year. It is very expensive software and not all can afford one at any given moment. If OS would cost maybe 30-50 euros I wouldn't bother making a copy for myself. 150-200 euros is just too much and we all know it's over-priced.

Originally posted by T9:

Keep cool. They, including the whole Silicon Valley, already know everything about you.

It's not a problem if they do, we are all already in a system for decades unless you're in the middle of Antarctica and nobody knows you're there, the problem begins the moment when they abuse person's ID themselves or sell it to someone else for reasons unknown. You too should be concerned who you give your personal data despite if you have nothing to hide. There is 8 billion people on this planet and ID mix up might happen to you. The consequences of that you don't want to know.

Originally posted by Promi:

Originally posted by Brulikrax:

Refund if you can. And try again. Also, if your Windows is legal, use that account. But as you buy from Steam, it should not ask for anything you haven't provided Steam with already.

About refund, download took me just above two hours to complete. I've read many had the same issue. Right now it's working. Unfortunately I have no other choice but to use a copy of operating system which is already few years old, but I do intend to buy Windows this or next year. It is very expensive software and not all can afford one at any given moment. If OS would cost maybe 30-50 euros I wouldn't bother making a copy for myself. 150-200 euros is just too much and we all know it's over-priced.

Originally posted by T9:

Keep cool. They, including the whole Silicon Valley, already know everything about you.

It's not a problem if they do, we are all already in a system for decades unless you're in the middle of Antarctica and nobody knows you're there, the problem begins the moment when they abuse person's ID themselves or sell it to someone else for reasons unknown. You too should be concerned who you give your personal data despite if you have nothing to hide. There is 8 billion people on this planet and ID mix up might happen to you. The consequences of that you don't want to know.

It is a big game. That is to be expected. Be glad it takes you 2 hours and not 6 or more. The OS can be acquired for about 50 euro as a key from an activation key vendor. Just make sure it is a valid vendor.

I never played anything that required "Microsoft Play" or whatever that dataminer was called.

Only lifelong victims fall for every trap and complain later, the rest of us think before we agree to shenanigans and never have problems like this.

Of course we "miss out" on things, but generally it's not an actual loss.

Originally posted by Brulikrax:

Originally posted by Promi:

About refund, download took me just above two hours to complete. I've read many had the same issue. Right now it's working. Unfortunately I have no other choice but to use a copy of operating system which is already few years old, but I do intend to buy Windows this or next year. It is very expensive software and not all can afford one at any given moment. If OS would cost maybe 30-50 euros I wouldn't bother making a copy for myself. 150-200 euros is just too much and we all know it's over-priced.


It's not a problem if they do, we are all already in a system for decades unless you're in the middle of Antarctica and nobody knows you're there, the problem begins the moment when they abuse person's ID themselves or sell it to someone else for reasons unknown. You too should be concerned who you give your personal data despite if you have nothing to hide. There is 8 billion people on this planet and ID mix up might happen to you. The consequences of that you don't want to know.

It is a big game. That is to be expected. Be glad it takes you 2 hours and not 6 or more. The OS can be acquired for about 50 euro as a key from an activation key vendor. Just make sure it is a valid vendor.

Given how many sites exists with ''you can trust us'', but end up with who knows what or nothing at all. I know some examples of how things turned sour for people paying to ''middleman''. I don't have that much money to play around with unknown websites

Originally posted by TheStoryteller01:

I never played anything that required "Microsoft Play" or whatever that dataminer was called.

Only lifelong victims fall for every trap and complain later, the rest of us think before we agree to shenanigans and never have problems like this.

Of course we "miss out" on things, but generally it's not an actual loss.

This is literally my first game from Microsoft and your comment doesn't belong here. If you can't help someone at least don't make things worse, okay big man?