A recent update seesWindows 11nowdisplays adsvia the Start menu for all users. The recent KB5036980 optional update enabled this function and features ‘recommendations’ that advertise apps listed in the Microsoft store. Though this update is optional for now, one may speculate that Microsoft could eventually make this a mandatory update.
Windows 11 Start menu ads are starting to rollout to everyone this week. Thankfully there’s a setting to easily disable these new ads, though. Full details below 👇 https://t.co/3Jit06ccxBApril 24, 2024
It also seems that the company has implemented this with little time to gather feedback from its Beta users. The developers initially implemented this change in its Windows 11 preview build 22635.3495two weeks ago, which gives very little time to gather sufficient feedback from a limited set of Beta testers. Hence, one would question the company’s haste in implementing this.
Microsoftis ready to introduce updates and features via the highly anticipatedWindows 11 24H2 build. However, decisions like introducing adverts would bring sour experiences and perspectives about the operating system. For now, this new feature can be disabled by turning off the ‘Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more’ option.
Microsoft claims it is displaying ads froma small set of curated developers, though that list would likely expand once it is set as a mandatory update. It also doesn’t explain how it determines these recommendations- either based on the user’s choice of activities and apps or based on different parameters. There’s also the likely possibility that the team may reverse this decision in the future.
This wouldn’t be the first time Microsoft embeds ads in its operating system. The company did similar promotions with the Windows 10 lock screen,mail appandStart menu. But it seems to be coming at the cost of not optimizing or improving user experience. A few days ago, itsformer developercriticized Windows 11’s Start menu’s performance issues on a system with an Intel Core i9 and 128GB RAM. While havingcertain features is nice for some users, one would not expect the performance and experience to be a trade-off.
Irrespective of Microsoft’s future decisions, end-users who favor performance and don’t mind getting their hands dirty may turn to applications likeTiny11to remove unwanted apps and functions from the operating system. Even if Microsoft resorts to blocking such programs, similar to how it does withpopular UI-altering apps, there are always ways for users to get around such obstacles.
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Roshan Ashraf Shaikh has been in the Indian PC hardware community since the early 2000s and has been building PCs, contributing to many Indian tech forums, & blogs. He operated Hardware BBQ for 11 years and wrote news for eTeknix & TweakTown before joining Tom’s Hardware team. Besides tech, he is interested in fighting games, movies, anime, and mechanical watches.
