As previously reported, Microsoft plans to make some changes to how Microsoft accounts are logged in in February, allowing accounts to remain automatically logged in unless logged out or using private browsing mode. While the changes were communicated to Outlook.com users via notifications and a now-deleted Microsoft support article, Microsoft has now confirmed that this was a bug.
Alex Simons, vice president of identity and network access program management at Microsoft, confirmed in a statement: "There will be no changes to the business (Microsoft Entra) or consumer (Microsoft Account) login experience for Microsoft users in February. The media reports were based on incomplete information mistakenly released by the Microsoft product team, and the erroneous notification has been removed."
Microsoft hasn't said when it plans to finally roll out these changes following the error notification, but once rolled out, it will mean users will no longer be asked if they want to continue signing in and Microsoft will automatically stay logged in.
If you choose to automatically stay logged in, it is recommended that users use private browsing mode on a public PC or ensure that they remember to log out manually after the session ends, otherwise the account will remain logged in.