Microsoft is targeting another corner of Windows 11 with – you guessed it – ads, and we’re getting a little tired of this
Microsoft is testing adding a new set of ads to the Windows 11 interface, this time in the Start menu.
Recent research on preview builds had suggested that this move was in the cards, and now those cards have been handed out to testers in the Windows 11 preview beta channel with a new build (version 22635).
The ads are placed in the “Recommended” pane of the Start menu and consist of highlighted apps from the Microsoft Store that you might want to try.
These promoted pieces of software will appear with a brief description in the Recommended section, alongside other content such as your frequently used (already installed) apps.
As Microsoft makes clear in the blog post At launch, the build will only roll out in the Beta channel, and only in the US. You can also disable the app promotions if you wish.
Testers who want to do this should open the Settings app, go to Home > and turn off the slider for “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more.”
Analysis: Just trying things out…
As mentioned, this idea was already marked as hidden in test builds, but now it is a reality – at least for a limited number of testers in the US. Microsoft even makes it clear that it is “beginning to roll this out to a small group of Insiders (testers),” so it sounds like the company is really being cautious. Additionally, Microsoft writes: “We regularly try new experiences and concepts with Windows Insiders to get feedback.”
In other words – don’t panic – we’re just trying out this concept a bit. It’ll probably never happen – move on, there’s nothing to see here. Anyway, you get the idea: Microsoft is well aware that it needs to tread carefully here, and rightly so.
These types of ads, packaged as suggestions or recommendations, are becoming an all-too-common theme in Windows 11. In the recent past, questions have been floating around one way or another, whether it’s about encouraging people to sign up for a Microsoft account, or to use OneDrive as part of a backup strategy, or placing ads in Outlook is another recent example. Or even recommendations for websites to visit, in much the same vein as these app recommendations in this beta version.
In this case, the idea seems to be driving traffic to the Microsoft Store – which Microsoft has been putting a lot of effort into improving performance of late (and the store has made great strides in that regard, to be fair).
We don’t want to sound like a broken record, but unfortunately we’re going to do that, because we are convinced that you can make money with a free product by advertising – no one can argue with that – but as a product There is already for paid, but placing advertisements on top (especially with an operating system where you clutter the interface) is simply not an option.
Microsoft might argue that these recommendations could be useful, especially if they’re user-facing – although there could be privacy concerns if that’s how this ultimately works – but we still don’t think it’s appropriate to include them. bits of ads in the UI, no doubt enabled by default. Yes, you can disable them – thankfully – but that shouldn’t be necessary in a paid operating system.
It’s up to testers to provide feedback on this and let Microsoft know how they feel.