The Microsoft Windows development team has come up with a new update that expands the repertoire of the Start menu with an unexpected extra, and this is nothing more than a small advertising area where applications from the Microsoft Store are promoted.
The possibility of displaying advertisements was brought about by the KB5036980 update, which is currently only available as an optional update package, i.e. it is not mandatory to install it, but it is not excluded that later, as possible errors are corrected based on user feedback, or as they map out what the welcome the innovation, make its installation mandatory. Of course, it is also in the deck that, seeing user dissatisfaction, they will not introduce the innovation, but that doesn’t matter now, let’s see what exactly it is about.
After installing the KB5036980 update, ads for applications from the Microsoft Store will appear in a rectangular area in the right column of the Star menu. It is not clear whether these applications are recommended by the system based on user habits, or whether they are only displayed selected from a general list, but it is certain that, according to Microsoft, only selected applications of a few developers are promoted in the Start menu. Of course, the selection may expand over time, or the function may even disappear if it is not an undivided success.
It is interesting that the innovation was tested for a relatively short time, since it was released approximately two weeks ago, in Windows 11 Preview Build 22635.3495, i.e. the enterprising users functioning as beta testers were not able to test it for long. The good news is that the update package is only optional for the time being, and if you have installed it but are not interested in advertisements, you can turn it off via the “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more” option in the Start menu settings (Settings > Personalization > Start) can also be banned.
Of course, this is not the first time that advertisements have appeared in some parts of the Windows operating system. In the past, we have encountered advertisements in the image area that appears when Windows 10 is closed, in the mail application, and in the Start menu. Unfortunately, the latest update package does not optimize the performance of the Start menu, at least there is no indication of this, which is also sad because a former Windows developer recently said that there is still something to optimize on the Start menu, because with a Core i9 processor and 128 GB – configuration with system memory can also experience stuttering during use – we wrote about this in this news.
