I partially agree with the original request. I’ve been developing apps for 10+ years and while there are some updates that truly are mandatory, many are not.
Very rarely do we modify backend services to the point they break compatibility with the current release. Typically new server features are added that new client side releases can take advantage of, but the core APIs remain compatible.
Think about all the cloud enabled apps on your phone, how often are you FORCED to update to a new version? Typically you’ll get a notification that a new app is available with new features or bug fixes, but you aren’t required to update unless you’re REALLY out of date.
Additionally, the majority of the files in MS/Asobo’s 20+ GB updates are new assets/models as part of the world updates that I frankly don’t care about right now. The actual executable files are pretty small and could be updated in minutes, not hours.
These surprise hour+ delays are making it very difficult for me to practice in the rare free moments between work, home life and actual flight lessons. At the very least, they should allow you to postpone an update like you can with Windows Updates. Even pushing the update back up to 24 hours would probably satisfy most of us so we can just let it update after finishing a session.