In a move likely to be met with a hostile response, Microsoft continues its obsession with injecting advertising into Windows. The company is testing the controversial addition of ads to Windows 11’s Start menu with Windows Insiders subscribed to its beta channel.
For now, this is a trial limited to beta testers in the US, but even if it receives the most negative feedback, it’s unlikely Microsoft will back down and roll out Start Menu ads to all Windows 11 users. It’s hard to imagine that.
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It’s hard to see the addition of ads to the Start Menu in anything other than a negative light, but if there’s one little positive to be taken from it, it’s at least a sign that Microsoft is obsessed with introducing AI-powered components. It shows that it is not. On Windows 11.
As expected, the company doesn’t refer to app ads added to the Start menu as ads. Rather, I prefer to refer to this “improvement” as a way to provide app “recommendations” to users. But don’t get me wrong. This is an advertisement.
Microsoft writes about the arrival of Start menu ads in the release notes for Windows 11 Insider Preview build 22635.3495.
Based on recent enhancements such as grouping recently installed apps and viewing frequently used apps, the Start menu now has[おすすめ]We’re trying out some recommendations to help you find great apps from the Microsoft Store. This is only visible to Windows Insiders in the US Beta Channel and does not apply to commercial devices (devices managed by your organization). To turn this off,[設定]>[パーソナル設定]>[スタート]Move to[ヒント、アプリのプロモーションなどの推奨事項を表示する]toggle off. As a reminder, we regularly try out new experiences and concepts that may never be released to Windows Insiders for feedback.[スタート]If you see this experience in your menu, please let us know what you think. We’re starting to roll this out to a small number of insiders in the beta channel initially.
This move isn’t entirely surprising, as Microsoft has a history of doing much the same with Windows 10.
Although it’s possible to disable app recommendations (as Microsoft points out in the release notes, many people won’t read them), setting > personalization > start >SRecommended methods such as tips and app promotions) I don’t think this is something a user should have to do.