Turn off build releases if you don't want to update through our installer. Stable CB releases can be entirely updated through Joomla installer. Joomla version checker does not work with build metadata so we can not use Joomla for build releases. Our installer requires login verification.

Certainly not! I won't weaken my browser settings to update a hecking plugin.

You don't have to, but JSONP calls will fail if you have 3rd party cookies off. We attempt a CORS call before JSONP though, which doesn't require 3rd party cookies to be on. The CORS probably failed because of a change Chrome made requiring the cookie to have specific parameters that Joomla doesn't let us set, which we will be fixing by modifying Joomla soon and there is absolutely no other way we can fix it beyond a Joomla core modification on our end.

Seriously?! why not make me press up up down down left right left right b a and call Bettlejuice three times while you're at it.

We provide full click-through instructions on setting up site keys. I don't know how to possibly make it any easier for you.

One click update is possible. Others can do it. I'm sure you can too. Why you don't want to is beyond my comprehension.

We do for stable releases since we're able to do those through Joomla. We're still working on Install from Web improvements and haven't made the free downloads available through Install from Web without login verification yet. I don't know why you think these improvements happen over night. It takes work to verify cross domain communications and implement this right. So we are doing so in steps. Implementing CORS and Site Keys was the first step to improving this. Site Keys are not a foreign concept. Most paid extensions use them to provide paid product updates.

Have added a feature ticket to see if we can allow bypassing the authentication check for all Free downloads through Install from Web. You'll still see that notice at the top, but you'll be able to update perfectly fine regardless of it and will be sent to the Updates section of Install from Web.

forge.joomlapolis.com/issues/8132

This will probably be available sometime tomorrow after we update things on our end and cache has cleared.

Edit: Update applied on our end. You should see it working now by refreshing Install from Web. Have confirmed updating CB through Install from Web without being authorized works now.