Do you want coping with promoting, even in software program that you just’ve already paid for? Of course you do! According to Microsoft, anyway, which continues to shove ads for its own products into every corner of Windows. A brand new glimpse at an upcoming Windows 11 “feature” from a prolific leaker says that the Start Menu goes to get some advert injections quickly.

Phantom Ocean, a Twitter leaker who’s been rock-solid on Microsoft matters, says that the Windows 11 Start Menu is testing “app promotions” in an upcoming construct. They’ll seem within the Recommended part of the menu, which at current contains functions which have lately been put in or ceaselessly run by the person. This space of the Start menu additionally reveals ideas and shortcuts.

The leaked picture reveals Opera Browser with a “Promoted” tag indicating that it’s an commercial, together with the “browse safely” promo textual content. The Windows Game Bar seems subsequent to it, in an instance of a extra commonplace Recommended app you would possibly see at the moment.

A screenshot from Phantom Ocean reveals the personalization settings for the Start Menu with a toggle for really helpful “tips, app promotions, and more,” whereas the present model of that setting is labeled “tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.” In some beta builds these promotions had been labeled as extra simple “ads.”

Advertising is changing into a ubiquitous sight in Windows. We’ve been reporting on Microsoft’s encroaching promoting in its flagship working system for the better part of a decade now, and it’s only getting worse. Advertising isn’t dangerous in idea — it’s how this web site stays in enterprise, for instance — however Windows continues to be a product that you just pay actual cash for, both outright through a license or as an additional price of shopping for a PC.

This, to make use of a extremely technical business time period, sucks.