Microsoft continues with controversial move in Windows 11: Copilot appears immediately after startup
Remember when Microsoft was previously testing an idea where Copilot would automatically start by default when Windows 11 first boots?
Well, Microsoft continues to roll out this feature more widely, and some Windows Insiders testing preview builds aren’t too happy about it.
Just some background: The functionality to make Copilot appear on the desktop when Windows 11 first boots was introduced in January with preview releases of Windows 11.
However, this initially only happened on a very limited basis with testers in the Dev channel, but now Microsoft is expanding the rollout of the feature as MS Power user noticed – as did several testers who posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager on the Windows Insider team, addressed some eyebrows raised about from last week.
We documented it in this blog post earlier in February, but temporarily disabled it. We’ll enable it again, which is probably why you’re seeing it now. https://t.co/y08M0uitHjApril 10, 2024
LeBlanc then spoke to the Windows team and came back with another after to clarify that the rollout of this Copilot functionality was actually re-enabled in February in both Canary and Dev channels, but what’s happening now is that the rollout of the feature is being expanded.
Whatever the case, it’s clear that Microsoft is moving forward with this concept of making Copilot appear on the desktop when you first turn on your PC.
However, as before, this only happens for certain users, depending on the type of monitor they have – i.e. users with a screen large enough to be able to display the Copilot panel in this way. This means a monitor with at least a 27-inch screen and a pixel width of 1920 (where the Full HD resolution is of course 1920 x 1080).
Analysis: The risk of feather folding
Obviously, this is one of those features that will ruffle more than a few feathers. Ensuring that Copilot is on the desktop by default from the start will obviously increase the visibility of the AI to Microsoft, and the amount of use it gets thereafter.
Presumably that’s the idea, but the equally obvious risk is that making Copilot work in a more in-your-face way when booting up the Windows 11 PC will anger some users.
That said, Microsoft is limiting it to larger monitors, and there’s a toggle to disable this feature in Settings, and we can reasonably assume this will carry through to release – if this Copilot auto-boot idea passes the tests completed builds of Windows 11, and maybe not. Depending on the feedback, Microsoft could eventually abandon it.
However, the feature moving towards a wider rollout seems to indicate that it will be here to stay for Microsoft. We’ll find out for sure if it pops up in the Beta channel and then the Release Preview channel. On that last point, it will almost certainly make it to release.