Microsoft is not done yet: more ads spotted in latest Windows 11 build

[harlan4096]

When is an ad an advertisement and not a recommendation? Microsoft clearly likes to use the term recommendation for what others may see as an advertisement.

There are recommendations in the Start menu, Settings app, Lock screen, File Explorer, Get Help app, and other areas of the operating system already.  These are often not that useful. App recommendations in the Start menu are limited to Microsoft Store apps.

Now, Microsoft is testing recommendations in the Microsoft Store app. If you never use the app, you won't be exposed to these. If you do, you may notice recommendations popping up when you try to use the built-in search.

First spotted by phantomofearth on X, two or three recommendations are shown whenever search is activated in the official Microsoft Store app.



Recommendations shown in the Microsoft Store app. Image source: phantomofearthWe were able to verify this independently in the latest Windows 11 Insider build.  Whether the feature will make it into stable versions of Windows 11 remains to be seen. The chance that it does seems good though.

Recommendations seem to focus mostly on games at this point, with popular games such as Homescapes, Forza Horizon 5, or Sea of Thieves 2024 Edition being recommended to the user. Some are free to play, usually with some form of in-game monetization scheme, others need to be bought before they can be played.
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