14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is overhauling the Start menu in the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update, and one change will concern the number of recommended apps displayed to users.
At the moment, the Start menu is also being used to promote a number of Windows Store apps to Windows 10 users in an attempt not only to drive more traffic to the store but also to help adopters of Microsoft’s new operating system discover the benefit of these apps.
And with the Redstone update (officially called by Microsoft the Anniversary Update), the number of promoted apps will grow from 5 to 10, the company has recently announced at the WinHEC conference. As you can see in the attached slide, Microsoft is trying to make the most of the Start menu, which is pretty much the first thing that Windows 10 adopters see and use every time they boot the OS.
The controversy of Start menu recommended apps
The first recommended apps arrived in Windows 10’s Start menu soon after the company delivered the November Update, and many people blamed Microsoft for displaying ads on their computers.
While at some level they are right because in the end these are ads supposed to entice users into trying apps that are available in the store, it’s actually entirely up to them to decide whether to see these recommended apps or not.
The Settings screen comes with options to disable these recommendations, and if you don’t want to see them anymore, just go to Settings > Personalization > Start > Occasionally show suggestions in Start.
At the WinHEC conference, Microsoft explains that recommended apps are displayed on Windows 10 systems in order to “introduce users and expose them to the Windows Store, because users can discover and engage with high quality and locally relevant apps.”
The company goes on to add that “apps are selected for promotion on a per-geography basis and are managed by service and will change on a regular basis.” Users can not only block the suggestions from showing up again at a later time but also uninstall them should they decide to install any.