I just installed today's macOS 15.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates. Incidentally, before updating my Mac mini, I got an "Upgrade to macOS Sequoia" notification even though the Mac was already running Sequoia (15.3.2).
After the updates, both my Mac mini and my iPad showed one of the most confusing "welcome" screens that I've ever seen. Indeed, they confused even me!
Software Update Complete
Your Mac has been updated to macOS Sequoia. Future software updates will be automatically downloaded and installed for you as they're released. You can manage this in Software Update settings.
I always disable automatic OS updates, and I wanted to continue disabling automatic OS updates. The two options given were "Continue" and "Only Download Automatically". Which of those two did I want? Confused, I selected Continue.
I turns out that I wanted neither. What I forgot while viewing the welcome screen is that automatic updates are divided into two settings: download and install. This only became obvious later, when I opened System Settings.
When I saw "Only Download Automatically" in the welcome screen, I naturally interpreted download as download and install. That's why I avoided the option, instead choosing Continue. That feels like a dark pattern to me. In this case, to continue was to enable both automatic downloads and automatic installs. Apple did not provide an option to disable both automatic downloads and automatic installs, despite the fact that both were disabled before the macOS 15.4 update.
The only positive thing I can say about this new, horrible welcome screen is that at least it didn't enable Apple Intelligence.
You might ask, why do I care if I'm installing the new updates as soon as they're released? Well, I installed the updates immediately on some of my devices—which I use as test devices—but I've not yet updated my primary devices. Moreover, I don't want the next major OS updates (macOS 16 and iOS 19, presumably) crammed down my throat automatically. In any case, it's a matter of user control and choice: I chose not to automatically download or install software updates, but now Apple deliberately disrespects my choices. That's simply wrong, ethically wrong.