diff --git a/gui/babeldata.h b/gui/babeldata.h
index b79cd1dc..c4d82e8c 100644
--- a/gui/babeldata.h
+++ b/gui/babeldata.h
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ public:
   int runCount_{0};
 
   // Global preferences.
-  bool startupVersionCheck_{true};
+  bool startupVersionCheck_{false};
   bool reportStatistics_{true};
   bool allowBetaUpgrades_{false};
   bool ignoreVersionMismatch_{false};
