Microsoft has found a new place to advertise and you're not going to like it

2023-05-08 13:07:21

Microsoft is not at its first attempt in terms of advertisements within Windows 11, but we bet that this new trial will not please everyone. Indeed, as spotted by Albacore on Twitter, the Redmond company is currently testing the integration of promotional messages in the Settings menu. Obviously, it is its own products that are put forward.

It’s an age-old complaint that Microsoft seems determined to ignore. Since the launch of Windows 11, the Redmond company has constantly tested new places to place . At times, these have even proven to be particularly intrusive, such as when they have appeared in the Start menu and even in File Explorer. Many times these trials never got beyond the Dev Channel and the Beta Channel of the operating system.

However, this does not prevent Microsoft from coming back regularly with new ideas. This is what user Albacore has just spotted, who shared some edifying screenshots on Twitter. On the latter, we see a new banner that has slipped into the Settings menu. More specifically, it is the home screen that is displayed when you open the menu, and which could therefore soon boast the merits of the Microsoft 365 suite.

Microsoft wants to integrate ads into Windows 11 Settings

Unsurprisingly, this therefore invites you to test the Microsoft suite, advancing as arguments “more cloud storage, advanced security and premium apps”. This banner is generally displayed at the top of the window, before the other sections that the user might really need, such as the remaining storage and other security options. Another version nevertheless shows the banner lower in the window.

Related — Windows 11 Will Show Ads for Microsoft Products, Confirmed in Next Update

Finally, a third version includes an advertisement in the section Accounts, this time notifying the user that support for Office 2013 has ended and that they should upgrade to a newer version to take advantage of the latest features and better security. As usual, nothing says that these advertisements will find their way to a consumer version of Windows 11. Still, Microsoft seems determined to offer some at one time or another.

Updates were made to the Microsoft Account portion of the upcoming Settings Homepage, here’s how it looks now + a preview of end of product support notices that can appear in the Account page pic.twitter.com/DwYEKqOb9n

— Albacore (@thebookisclosed) May 5, 2023