Windows 11 is promoting Xbox PC Game Pass with a pop-up ad
Microsoft is displaying yet another ad on Windows 11. This time, a pop-up banner promotes the company's Game Pass subscription for PCs.
I'm a fan of Xbox PC Game Pass, it is a pretty cool service that lets you play a lot of games, including new launches, without breaking the bank. But, there are better ways to promote it than with a pop-up that users might consider annoying. How many different types of ads have we seen on Windows 11?
Here's a quick recap, the operating system shows ads for Xbox Wireless Controllers, Bing AI, Microsoft 365, and more. There are ads in the Outlook app, the Start Menu, File Explorer. Of course, we mustn't forget all those recommendations for Microsoft Edge. The Weather app has ads in it. Even the Microsoft Store also displays "suggestions" on the homepage, which are just ads, but at least that is restricted to the app. How many of these products might actually be useful for a user?
Microsoft says that these pop-ups are not ads
Let's back to the Xbox PC Game Pass ad. Believe it or not, according to Windows Latest, a Microsoft spokesperson told the blog that these pop-ups are not classified as ads, instead these notifications are considered as tips and suggestions. It's up for debate as to what qualifies as an ad and a recommendation.
Interestingly, the spokesperson also told the blog that the alerts give people an option to purchase Call of Duty Black Ops 6: Vault Edition from the Microsoft Store, or to download the Microsoft Defender app. Before you ask, no this is not the same app that is preinstalled on Windows 11, the antivirus on your PC is called Windows Security. Microsoft Defender is a security dashboard of sorts, and it's not free.
So, a notification for Xbox PC Game Pass is a suggestion? Even if it is meant to highlight a specific game, its purpose is to promote a paid product. Microsoft can sugarcoat it however it wants to, but that's literally what advertisements do, they are a marketing tool to spread the word about things that a company sells. That's exactly what the company has been doing over the past few years.
This ad or notification, whatever you want to call it, has a button to dismiss the pop-up, and another button "Join Now" clicking on which directs you to the Microsoft Store page where you can buy/subscribe to PC Game Pass. Don't want to see these notifications? You can turn off ads in Windows 11 by following our guide.
It's not the first time we have seen such ads in Windows 11, remember when Microsoft placed ads for Game Pass in the Settings app? I'm a gamer, and occasionally use Game Pass, but even I think these banners are unnecessary. The service has become quite popular among the gaming community. If you are a gamer, you are probably aware of Game Pass, and you are either subscribed to it, or choose not to. My point is, these pop-up ads offer very little value. This does make me wonder how non-gamers perceive these ads, perhaps they are even more annoying, aka completely irrelevant to their usage.
What do you think about such ads?
Don’t care for Microsoft’s pushy marketing with Windows as its ad platform. But most companies find ways to market their products on a platform that has such a broad user base as Windows.
Windows 11 is a complete failure. I no longer view Microsoft as a software company, but rather as a fraudulent company. They haven’t produced anything useful in the last four years.
I wanted to uninstall Edge in the past, and even Defender. However, I was completely unable to uninstall them without breaking something. So I left them and after a while I didn’t care anymore. It’s amazing how someone can adapt himself to the insidious odor of the unwanted software.
Last week I tried to print two PDFs at least 999 times, with no success at all. Printer was always offline. No matter what I did, nothing was enough to be able to print. I was in a very remote village lost in the mountains and there was only my printer.
It’s time for Satya to retire. He has his head trapped in the clouds. Microsoft needs a new leader who can steer Windows in the right direction. Since 11, things have become worse.
It has become the norm to expect Windows new releses to be full of bugs. Some are worse then others. I really do not think Microsoft can handle twice a year major revisions to Windows.
I am working mostly 90% of my time with Linux (Kubuntu LTS) and zero problems experienced yet. But i click on PDF’s at least 999 times, with no success at all.
Why would anyone need this? To help me remember things later, I type them out in my notepad or bookmark them. I don’t need bloat to be secretly documenting everything I do. Put an end to this AI nonsense and return to creating a functional OS system. Windows 11 is lacking so much other features they never brought back.
If you have Windows 11 version that works great, you do not need updates. Even security ones (in my opinion). Just get a good third-party antivirus and full back up program with an external local storage device or two. And you can disable Windows Updates forever. I have not got any serious Windows issues for the last year since I disabled Windows Updates as opposed to having issues every few months after random Windows updates.
Incredibly good joke (if it were a joke) or incredible amount of well wishes (if it were a wish). You made my night with some laughs here. Thanks to @Martin for the article too! :]
“I wanted to uninstall Edge in the past, and even Defender. However, I was completely unable to uninstall them without breaking something.”
Yes, you can not uninstall Defender. Do not even try it, it embedded too deeply. Edge, on the other hand, it is very uninstallable with minimum damage. After I uninstalled Edge, one of small utility app stopped working, and one other app can not display help page. I have about 30 programs and 30-40 utility apps, and only two utility apps were effected.
One thing you said about printer, I can not confirm because I do not have one at home. But all peripherals (external hard drives, webcams, sound columns, mouse, keyboard) work fine.
Unsolicited ads, by any name, should be illegal.
Linux is free has no advertisements.
Lots of Linux versions look and function like windows. The learning curve for Linux is just as easy to use as windows. Linux even can run games and there is lots of free software to replace windows software. Libre Office is a perfect example of the free software that replaces widows software.
If you have not tried Linux try give it a try. It will install and work great on older systems that cannot run newer versions of windows.
I fully agree that Linux has become so much better in the recent years and it’s a viable solution.
However, consider the following scenarios that stops many:
– Services like Google Drive, One Drive, iCloud and so on are either semi supported (ie: Gnome accounts, online no local) or complicated to get working (ie: rclone)
An example of what one needs to do:
https://itsfoss.com/use-google-drive-linux/
– Driver support is still an issue. Take something as simple as Nvidia drivers. On Wayland, there were issues and the solution was to install libnvidia-egl-wayland1, which you’d need to dig deep to find that it’s the solution, and of course, tinkering with terminal or package manager
Just look at KDE’s guide and recommendation:
https://community.kde.org/Plasma/Wayland/Nvidia
– The usual issues with games and support
– Applications like WhatsApp, IDM and so on. You either have to rely on alternatives that aren’t as functional, or use web version. In essence, you’d need to know what to do.
While on Windows, it’s all “click and play/install/works”.
If your first reaction is “well, you shouldn’t be using this, you should use that” then the point hasn’t reached. Most people seek comfort and convenience.
Many of us love to tinker and customize everything down to the last detail, but the average Joe just wants things to work, and on Linux, it’s not there yet. It is so close, but not yet.
For me personally, using Linux is a given. I love open source and I tend to stay within that realm. Though that is not the case for most people and I still can’t deny that Windows beats Linux for day to day use.
I have 2 PCs running Linux Mint 21.3. I am very happy with it.
@David, in my odyssey aiming my after-Windows lands I read all I discover regarding mainly Linux distributions.
Many Windows users with a switch to Linux as a perspective are concerned about the eco-system differences and naturally way tend to favor Linux distributions which propose a Windows “look”. This concern may tempt qualified developers to take advantage of this parameter in order to offer an questionable Linux distro.
I’ve just read an article, “Linux: avoid this distribution that looks like Windows” (the article is in French) which explains why LinuxFX but as well Wubuntu should be avoided :
https://www.zdnet.fr/pratique/linux-evitez-cette-distribution-qui-ressemble-a-windows-403545.htm
I could easily fall in such traps given I know nothing of Linux. I always thought that whatever Linux distro would face comparisons with others of course but not with code integrity. Seems I was wrong. There is no paradise on Earth, even in Linux Land.
@Tom H, I read that article, I also read the previous article where he promoted Wubuntu as a go to Linux distro for windows users. Wile I was reading it I though what the … is he doing, this is making sure that new Linux users will be disappointed, they will walk away and never look back. Linux will never replace windows, well I hope so otherwise all is lost.
If you want to try and probably switch to Linux use this https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html
Happy new Linux year
https://linuxiac.com/best-linux-distro-of-2024-there-is-no-such-thing/
@Paul, indeed …
Thanks for the links which I’ve added to my dedicated Linux bookmark folder.
Not sure 2025 will be a Linux year for Papa Hawack but if it ain’t for next year it’ll be for the year after unless the PC here happens to fail before that (still in good shape though while running Win7).
Happy New Year 2025 :) I think we’ll need all the best wishes for this coming year in particular.
@Papa Hawack
Que Sera, Sera
Hey yeah, it is private property, that operating system. By current law the owner is protected not society nor people.
Protected from what Ben? Consumers and Businesses choose to use Windows.
MS can put whatever ads they want in their OS. Its up to the consumer and market to decide and sadly, people still choose Windows.
…corporations and rich individuals get protection from the state. Why not others, consumers, voters, workers, families, kids what ever…?
If there is a quasi monopol, there is no choice.
Technically, Windows is property of Microsoft. You only think you own a copy of it, you just lease it. But you can still own Windows on your home PC if you disable Windows Updates and other tracking nasty things like Copilot and Recall and with O&O Shutup, permanently remove all unneeded Microsoft apps (except for Defender/Calculator/Paint/Notepad) with O&O App Buster and uninstall Edge with MS Edge Redirect.
At the end you have three choices: get used to ads, switch to Linux or follow my or other people instructions how really own Windows.
Any idea how to disable Edge updates. I want to be prepared for Manifest v3.
Something wrong with comments. I am sure I posted the last comment a year ago, and now it is showing like I posted it yesterday. I think this site had similar comment problems before. Probably a recurring bug in WordPress (I think this site runs on one of their templates, just like most small and midsize websites).